From the Sidelines
by gluegirl56
Summary: What really happened those seven days we didn't see in the episode "Point of View"? Friendship/romance/crime/hurt with Mac/Stella/Aubrey and the team of course. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

CSI NY – From the Sidelines

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing

_Characters:_ Mac, Stella, Hawkes, Danny, Lindsay, Adam, Sid and Aubrey

_Genre: _Pre-romance, hurt/comfort, angst, friendship

_Spoilers:_ Point of View, gap filler

_A/N: In late season 6 something happened, Aubrey Hunter came into Mac's world and in my opinion they were made for each other. And before you ask, yes I admit I am a Mac/Aubrey fan. And I realize there aren't many out there but I can't help it. _

_I really wanted to see Mac recuperating those seven days that the episode skipped, so here is my take on that._

_This is has not been betaed so please don't be too hard. As always I'd love a review, feel free to tell me if I am doing good or bad, what to improve and so on. _

oooooooooo

Chapter One

Zero Hour

"Mac!" Someone was calling out his name from a great distance. "Mac!" He heard it again but there was something wrong, he couldn't answer.

'Where was he? What was going on?' He thought. Then it hit him hard, the pain surged through his body from every direction. It felt like his head was going to explode as a deep agonizing feeling spread through him and his chest constricted. It was almost like he couldn't breathe.

"Mac!" He heard someone call out again and, although he wasn't sure, he thought the voice belonged to Flack.

"Mac!" Detective Flack shouted, as he was running as fast as his legs would carry him, toward his fallen friend and mentor. He crashed through the service stairwell door and onto the floor he had seen Detective Taylor end up on.

Enraged by the suspect Flack had followed the man out in the service stairwell but wasn't fast enough and lost his prey to two of his men waiting at the bottom floor. Thankful that the man had been taken care of, he rushed back in again, a tight knot forming in his stomach. 'What if Mac was dead?' Don wasn't sure he could cope with that.

He kneeled beside his fallen friend and reached out with shaky fingers just below Mac's jaw to check for a pulse. 'Why wasn't Sheldon Hawkes here when you needed him the most?' He thought bitterly.

"Mac?" He said, desperately wanting to hear the other man's voice. 'Where the hell was that ambulance anyway?' Flack thought angrily as he reached down in his pocket, with his other hand, in search for his phone. The younger detective breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a steady beat from under his fingertips; at least Mac was still alive.

Then suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. It was very little in fact, but it was a sign of life.

"Mac?" Don questioned as relief flooded through his body and a slight smile formed on his face. "Yeah that's good; there you go, open your eyes," he encouraged, holding his breath.

The Head of the NYPD crime lab stirred and looked up at him but there was no recognition in his blue eyes and Flack's joy suddenly turned to fear.

Through the haze that surrounded his brain, Mac tried and get two and two together. 'Why on earth was Flack sitting beside him on the floor? And…wait there was three of him? Definitely not a good sign, he thought.' He closed his eyes again, trying to clear his mind, but the only thing he managed to accomplish was to aggravate his head ache.

"Come on Mac," Don said with worry in his voice. "Mac, the ambulance is on its way."

Mac tried to move his head but even that slight movement caused pain to shot out from his skull. He could hear the sirens wailing in the distance. "Flack," he whispered.

"It's all right Mac, just lay still; you might have broken something. Where does it hurt?" Don asked unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

However Mac wasn't listening anymore, he closed his eyes to rest for a little bit, at least that's what he kept saying to himself. He heard indistinct voices drawing near and then he felt hands on him, hands checking his pulse again, gently turning him on his back.

Mac hissed as the movement triggered another wave of pain to surge through his beaten body.

"Detective Taylor?" A new voice said, probably belonging to the EMS. "Detective Taylor can you hear me?"

"Yes," he managed.

"Good, I am going to cut your shirt open and my partner here is going to attach a nasal canula, is that okay?" The man asked gently.

Mac nodded, opening his eyes again, seeing a very worried Don who had backed away to give the EMS some space to work. It was suddenly hard to focus on things, hard to keep the eyes open. 'Why was it hard to keep the eyes open?' He wondered.

Another jolt of pain took him by surprise as he was lifted onto the stretcher, then Don appeared at his side again. "We got him; we got the son of a bitch Mac."

He couldn't get all the pieces of the puzzle to fit in his head but Don was obviously happy with it and he didn't feel up to even ask, instead he just faded away to a blissful darkness, his head lolling to the side.

"Mac?" Don looked up at the closest paramedic. "What's going on?" He demanded.

"Detective Flack please step aside so we can load Detective Taylor into the ambulance, it is important that we leave immediately."

oooooooooo

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

_/Thank you so much for reviewing and for putting the story on alert, you guys are great. _

oooooooooo

Chapter Two

Why and how

A black Avalanche screeched to a halt right next to the ambulance, causing the paramedic standing at the rear to jump.

Irritated at the lack of answers or avoidance of answers on Mac's condition Flack looked up to see Danny get out of the NYPD vehicle.

"Mac?" Danny said worriedly glancing into the ambulance. He felt his hair rise at the back of his neck seeing the lead CSI lying motionless on the stretcher. Mac was always walking out the most bizarre situations without as much as even a scratch.

Danny reluctantly tore his gaze away from Mac and turned to look at Don, "Flack what happened!"

The EMS started to close the doors, "Detective Flack?"

Don held up his index finger, "One minute."

"I just heard on the radio, on my way over to the precinct, the call for an officer down. What happened?" Danny said, repeating himself as he kept glancing at the ambulance.

Flack shook his head, "Don't know yet Danny and I've got to go, take care of the crime scene would you? I'll get in touch with Stella."

Danny nodded, "I'll redirect Lindsay and Adam from their crime scene downtown. Promise me to call the minute there is any change."

The grave look on Don's face softened a bit as he nodded and headed toward the waiting ambulance.

Running a hand through his hair, Danny walked up to an officer standing at the entrance of the old theatre building. "You'd better fill me in on this. Where is the suspect?"

oooooooooo

As soon as the doors opened Flack jumped out of the way as two doctors and a nurse rushed over. It was like he walked in a haze, like everything went in slow motion and then he saw her lying there instead. Don swallowed, bending his head down, rubbing his eyes. 'No this wasn't happening', he thought wearily as it all came rushing back to him; Jessica Angell bruised and bloodied on a stretcher with white coated doctors hovering over her, whisking her away from him. Then he saw his long time friend on that same gurney, his features drawn and his skin pale and clammy. Flack was suddenly afraid to lose sight of the medical team as they picked up the pace. "Mac?" He called out as he felt the nurse's small hands on his arm.

"I am sorry sir, but you have to stay here. The doctors will do everything in their power to help your friend," she said plainly.

Don stared at her. She wore a mask of profession on her face. She probably said the same thing to friends, families and relatives all day long. 'Didn't she understand he didn't trust their care?'

He turned around, rolled his eyes, and started to punch in a familiar number on his phone. After a few rings a soft female voice answered. _"Bonasera?"_

Suddenly Flack didn't know what to say. "Hi Stella…" he began.

"_Don what's wrong?"_ Stella asked worriedly. _"Has something happened?"_

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, you know me that well ha?"

There was only silence in the other end, a silent waiting on news she probably wasn't prepared for. "It's Mac, Stella he…I am at the hospital…the General Hospital."

"_Okay, take it from the beginning I am heading over there now." _He could hear her heels clicking faster on the floor as she was running into the elevator. Then there was another voice, he thought it belonged to Hawkes, and then she spoke to him again. _"Flack?" _

He realized that she was waiting for him to explain further. "When Mac and I closed the Hexton case I got a call to the station about a murder at the newly restored theater. Mac and I went there and, when we arrived, people where everywhere, a bloodied man stumbled out from a lounge, and seeing our badges he stormed off. Mac went after him and I went into the lounge."

"_Is anyone at the scene now?"_ It was Hawkes voice that carried over the phone. Don could hear two car doors slamming close and an engine start. 'Good', he thought Sheldon was coming with.

"Danny is there, no doubt he called Lindsay and Adam. I told him I was about to call you. Anyway there was nothing I could do, the poor woman in the lounge was already dead, stabbed to death with a kitchen knife, and I can bet my ass it was the one our suspect carried with him as he took off. She had no chance, he went for her heart and it wasn't a pretty sight I can tell you that much."

Don paused and reached up with his left hand to massage his temples. He closed his eyes and stopped pacing momentarily. Then suddenly he was drawn back to the last hour as he continued to fill in the blanks for Stella.

"So I took off in the direction I had last seen Mac head. I knew I was close when I stepped out of the service stairwell and heard footsteps out in the open. Leaning over the railing I saw them two flights below me."

oooooooooo

Stella felt her heart beat faster in her chest as she turned out of the parking garage and into the late traffic of New York, not the best time to cruise the street of the city. She had put on the speaker in the car and glanced worriedly at Sheldon sitting in the passenger seat, listening to her and Don's conversation.

"_I rushed down a set of stairs and….then I heard it; shouts and bodies being shifted, the terrible sound of a body hitting the ground." _

Stella could take it no more; she reached for the switch and turned on the siren. Jamming the gas pedal into the carpet she spun the wheel around and began to cross through the heavy traffic.

Ice gripped her veins at Flack's next words, _"Stella, Mac fell at least three storeys, I don't know if he will make it, damn doctors won't tell me anything!" He exclaimed angrily. _

"Hey Don, just sit tight, we'll be there in a minute." Sheldon said casting a worried eye toward the second in command at the NYPD Crime Lab, Stella Bonasera gripped the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Easy Stella, we will get there and Mac's going to be all right."

Their eyes met briefly, both concerned, both trying to hide it.

"How do you know that?" She sighed. "I swear Hawkes, one day I am going to die worrying about him, because one of these days his luck is going to run out."

oooooooooo

Lindsay and Adam walked briskly over to where Danny was standing, near the back of a squad car. "Danny?" She questioned. "Have you heard anything?"

He shook his head, "Nothing yet but I am sure they call as soon as they know something. Look I am going to take this guy to the station, making sure he is not running away somewhere. Our victim is in the lounge. A woman around 25-30 years old, killed by several stab wounds to the heart and throat, death occurred almost instantly. There are signs of heavy struggle in the room, blood splatters on the lower part of the wall, bloody foot prints…just make sure you get every little piece of evidence you can in there. He tried to kill Mac."

Lindsay watched him get into the front of the car and banged on the roof, indicating it was okay for them to leave. As they pulled away she felt the eyes of the man in the back seat bore into her and an uncomfortable feeling swept over her.

She jumped as a hand gently squeezed her shoulder. "Lindsay, are you okay?" Adam asked concerned.

She nodded, turning around to face him. "Let's go collect some evidence."

oooooooooo

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

_/First of all, I want to thank mav32 for the beta work on this chapter, and then I hope you're still reading, reviewing and enjoying this story. _

oooooooooo

Chapter Three

Suspicions

Don rose from the plastic chair hastily as Stella and Hawkes came walking up to him. How he hated hospitals, the waiting and the smell of disinfectants, the smell of death.

"Anything?" Stella asked, and Don couldn't help but notice the underlying despair in her voice.

He shook his head, "Stella I can't do this." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I keep seeing her."

Stella gently squeezed his shoulder. "Angell?" She spoke up softly.

"I thought I was over it but it keeps coming back and, Danny at the bar and now it's happening again," Flack said, fighting to keep it together.

"Hey, it's okay Don," Stella offered.

He chuckled, "Well look at me, an NYPD detective, losing it in the hospital corridor."

"Look I'll go and see if I can get some information." Sheldon said.

"Come on Don, let's go and grab a coffee and then we go and see if we too can get any information", she suggested. In a way Stella was grateful that Don was having this reaction because it kept her away from her own dark thoughts.

'_This isn't really happening.'_ Stella tried to tell herself, as they walked slowly toward the coffee machine further down the corridor. She had lost a very close friend when Claire passed away but, somehow together, she and Mac had managed to get through it by taking it one day at a time. During the years they had gotten closer to each other and started to work at the same place. He was her rock, her best friend, her boss, he was her everything except her lover. _'Was she going to lose him too now? No,'_ she thought, _don't go there Stella, get a grip._

oooooooooo

Back at the theatre Lindsay and Adam tried to collect every single piece of information they could. Somehow it felt different this time, and in a way it was, because one of their own had been hurt, and not just anyone, but Mac.

"Lindsay?" Adam walked over and kneeled cautiously next to where his colleague was sitting on the floor. "Do you see that man over there at the door?" He said his voice no more than a whisper.

She cast a cautious glance in the same direction Adam mentioned, "The dark haired man in a wrinkled tuxedo? Yes, he's been watching us ever since we got here, when he thinks we don't pay attention," Lindsay said as she placed evidence in a bag and zipped it closed.

"Why would he do that?" Adam whispered.

"I don't know," Lindsay whispered back.

He straightened with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry," he said in a normal voice. "I have sent some of the photos back to the lab; Annie is taking a sneak peak at them as we speak."

"Annie uh? I have noticed the way you look at her and I got to admit…" Lindsay smiled teasingly watching Adam's face turn red like a tomato. "…she looks quite good. Long and blond, great curves. So when do you plan on asking her out?"

Adam scratched his neck, looking down at the floor. "I…"

"Just relax Adam, I'm just teasing you. But you should go for it," Lindsay stood up. "I'll go and have a chat with that fellow while you finish up here okay?" She said.

Adam nodded as he watched her leave the room. Closing the last evidence bags he looked up curiously as she came back in again. "That was fast," he said.

"He wasn't there anymore," she said by way of explanation, her features hard.

oooooooooo

Danny walked right behind the primary suspect, keeping a close eye on him, as he was taken into the 12th precinct. He fought really hard to keep his temper in check, Mac would want him to go by the book and that's exactly what he was planning to do. When the man had pushed his friend and boss, one of their own, it had become so much more than just a regular case.

The captain of the precinct nodded in his direction, "Hey Messer." He nodded at the officer keeping the suspect in close range to proceed to the holding cells. "That's the guy?"

Danny nodded, his lip a thin line and his jaw set.

"I know Taylor, he is though," the captain said and nodded at the cells at the back of the precinct. "My guys will watch him like a hawk, he isn't going anywhere," he assured, looking at the bloodied man struggling with the police officers tight grip.

"Sounds good," Danny said. "I appreciate it."

"Anytime and take the hint Messer, get out of here and get back to the lab, nail the bastard. And when you see Taylor, tell him to get well soon," the captain said.

oooooooooo

Stella looked down in her empty paper cup, the coffee long gone. And there had been no sign of any doctor or Hawkes. Flack was getting more and more restless, pacing back and forth driving her crazy. "Don please, sit down," she said trying to keep her irritation out of her voice.

He shook his head, "Can't, not right now."

"You are driving…" she trailed off seeing Hawkes and a middle aged man in a doctor's coat coming towards them. Stella tried to read Sheldon's face but he looked so serious that she didn't dare to interrupt anything. She stood up, preparing for the worst.

Flack met his colleague and the doctor halfway. "How's he doing?" He asked.

"Detective Flack?" The doctor acknowledged and then looked behind him toward the woman making her way to them. "Detective Bonasera?"

John Bennet was used to dealing with angry, sad and lost people every day but somehow he couldn't help but feel with them. Some people claimed it was bad, and that you had to detach yourself from patients but he couldn't do that, not entirely. He looked at the female detective, her face full of worry and dread at he was about to say. The male detective had a look of pure anguish on his face while the former doctor standing to his right tried very hard to keep strong and neutral.

"I'm Dr. John Bennet, the attending physician when detective Taylor was brought into the ER," he shook their hands. "The fall he suffered was pretty rough on his body. I am afraid he suffers from a not too gentle concussion. Since the unconscious period was stretched to more than a couple of minutes we ordered a CAT scan to check for any damage, luckily there is no irreparable damages to his brain but he needs to be followed up regularly."

Stella took a deep breath, knowing that it wouldn't end there. She watched Don running a hand through his hair.

Dr. Bennet continued, "He also sustained heavy bruising to his right side and three of his ribs are broken but there is no damage to the lung. The hip took quite a beating and he is very lucky it wasn't crushed in the fall but its swollen and it will take some time before the swelling goes down again. Then there are the broken bones in his right hand and a shoulder which will be sore for several days but other than that Detective Taylor is fine."

Stella closed her eyes briefly and let her hands slide over her face. "Thank you," she whispered.

"So, he's going to be all right?" Flack asked, wanting to hear the doctor confirm what he had just said.

Bennet nodded, "He will be kept under close observation for at least a few days, and monitored. If there are no complications he will be moved to recovery."

"Can we see him?" Stella asked.

"Yes you may, but only one at a time and, please keep in mind that he's been through a lot. He is lucky to be alive right now."

Don chuckled, "Mac is a fighter."

Doctor Bennet smiled, "I thought he was."

Sheldon walked closer to Stella as the doctor excused himself and walked away. "I better head back to the lab and see if I can help." He squeezed her shoulder, "Stella, Mac is going to be all right, you know how he is."

She turned around watching Don, "You're leaving too?"

"No way, he is not going to get rid of me that easily. But I'll let you go first," Flack replied with a relieved look on his face.

Stella nodded but didn't take a step toward Mac's room, it was like she hesitated and the woman Flack knew never hesitated. "What are you waiting for?" He asked with a slightly teasing smile on his face.

"How does he look?" Stella asked, surprising him.

Don broke into a smile, "Stunning."

She rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Stella, he looks like his old self. I don't know how he does it, I mean the man just fell three stories and it doesn't even show," Don answered.

oooooooooo

Danny walked out of the elevator, at this late hour it was unusual to see any kind of activity going on in the various rooms. He spotted Lindsay processing samples taken from the theatre lounge and walked over. "Hey," he said.

She looked up and smiled by way of greeting, "How did it go?" She asked.

"Suspect is in lock up, the boys back at the precinct promised to take good care of him." He switched subject, "So how's it going?"

"I am analyzing the blood on the victim's clothes; so far I have only found her blood but witnesses told Adam that the man rushing from the scene with the knife also bleed from a wound on his arm?" She looked at him for confirmation.

Danny nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, there was blood on his left sleeve but it didn't seem to have come from him," he said.

"That's strange." Lindsay looked over at the analyzing machine as it beeped, indicating that the cycle was complete. Heading over to a nearby computer screen she studied the result. "Some of the blood on her clothes is definitely not hers and…" she trailed off looking at Danny, "…if it's not our guy's, then who's is it?"

oooooooooo

Sid glanced up from the body he was washing clean of blood as Hawkes walked into the room. "Sheldon, how's Mac?"

"I have to say pretty good for someone who just fell over a third floor railing. He's lucky to be alive and knowing Mac, he is going to get involved in the case as soon as he wakes up," Sheldon smiled.

Sid snorted, "That's a bit early."

Hawkes looked at the body of the young blond woman, "What have we got?"

"Oh, I haven't gotten very far yet, the fingerprints have been taken and the system is looking for a match in the database as we speak but, for now, she's just another dead body," Sid sighed.

"Well, at least we know the cause of death," Sheldon said.

oooooooooo

Stella took a deep breath and silently slipped through the door to Mac's room. She shuddered involuntarily at the sight of him, his skin pale and clammy. Bandages could be seen through the light hospital gown on his torso, and electrodes were attached to his chest which in turn was connected to a monitor. She walked as close as she could, ending up next to the IV pole, in an uncomfortable visiting chair. As Don had told her, the ordeal Mac suffered didn't really show much on the outside.

Detective Bonasera blew out a long breath. She had been visiting several other colleagues during all her years with the force, crying over people, wishing them to get well. She had been sitting by Flack's side and Danny's side with a knot in her stomach but she had never experienced this, never felt what she was feeling now. This was…she swallowed…this was Mac. He just didn't lie in hospitals, he always brushed off whatever was thrown at him and he was always strong for her, for all of them.

She reached for his hand and gently took it into her own. "I know you don't like to be vulnerable…but you are…so just accept it," she said softly her voice no more than a whisper.

Stella almost laughed at herself; it must have sounded ridiculous in his ears, "Mac, what really happened out there? You could have died."

She squeezed his good hand, looking at his face. "What would the team do without you?" Stella knew it was not likely he would wake up and talk to her, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed, "I am sorry, I am babbling I know."

A small smile crept over her features. "So what is it I hear from Adam about you going out with the good looking Dr. Hunter?" She couldn't help but teasing him, it was a low blow at the moment when he had no chance of explaining himself, she knew.

Maybe it was imagination but Stella could swear the corner of his mouth twitched. She chuckled, "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough." he said, his voice no more than a whisper.

She rose from the chair and carefully bent down to hug him, mindful of his injuries, still he grimaced slightly.

Breaking the hug she looked directly into his blue eyes, "You know when Don called…" she broke eye contact and glanced at the farther wall, collecting herself. "…for a while there I thought…" Stella shook her head.

"Hey," he said softly.

She brushed down tear. _'What was wrong with her, she never cried. Get a grip Stella Bonasera', _she admonished herself. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

"I have had worse," he replied casually.

"Please, Mac, give me an honest answer," she said.

He frowned, "An honest answer? Well let's see, my head is killing me, my side is on fire and my hip must have run into something," he replied dryly.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you actually admit something hurts," she replied slightly amused.

Mac made a face. "I don't know what I am saying, blame it on the concussion." He switched subject, "So…I think Flack told me they nailed the guy, it's a bit blurry."

"Yeah…" she looked up as a nurse entered the room.

"Detective Bonasera? I am really sorry but you have to leave now."

"Oh," she smiled at Mac as she rose from his bedside. "Don't worry we'll have this solved and sorted out in no time," Stella assured as she gently squeezed his shoulder. At least she hoped so.

oooooooooo

"Anna James," Lindsay said walking up behind Adam's chair.

"Come again?" The lab tech said his brow furrowing.

"The victim," she clarified with an amused look on her face.

Adam straightened in the chair, trying to work out the kinks in his back. "The blond woman in the morgue?" He asked and yawned. "Oh, yeah I've got it. You know for a while there I thought we'd got another new technician." Adam let his fingers fly over the computer tangents, "Want me to search something special?"

"Just the usual, cross reference with criminal registery, medical files, take a look at her bank account, anything to find out why someone would want to see her dead," Lindsay suggested.

"Lindsay?" He turned around in the chair to face her as she turned to leave, "How's the boss?"

She couldn't help but smile a little, "Just got off the phone with Stella and he woke up during her stay, talked to her and there was no doubt in her mind he would make a full recovery."

Adam smiled happily, "That's our boss, way to go."

oooooooooo

Aubrey Hunter smiled to herself as she walked through the entrance door to the ER. Her shift didn't start for another 30 minutes but she needed to catch up on some things. Looking up from the reception desk, taking her mail she saw another victim of a robbery being wheeled through the doors by the EMS. Sadly shaking her head she wondered when people would actually stop hurting each other.

"Hey Aubrey," the chief of the ER said, casually walking up to her, "You're here earlier today."

She smiled at him, "Hey John. Shouldn't you have left this place an hour ago?" Aubrey asked.

They walked toward the locker room, reaching it, he held up the door for her. He then ran a hand over his face. "I was but you know how it is around here," he said tiredly.

She glanced over her shoulder as she reached into her locker to retrieve her white coat. "Anything special happened? Not that every day is alike," she offered.

He nodded thoughtfully, "Place has been swarming with CSI's and NYPD the whole afternoon. First we had a shooting accident in trauma room three, the husband and wife arguing about the best way to kill each other, we had to call security."

"Nice," Aubrey commented.

"Then Dr Thomas got in a child abuser, apparently he was wanted by the police for the abduction and rape of a minor girl. It had the whole staff in rage," Bennet said angrily.

Dr. Hunter slammed her locker shut, "Bastard," she muttered angrily.

John Bennet's mouth turned into a thin line, "Then a couple of hours ago the police tried to apprehend a murderer at the grand opening of the old Candida theatre."

She looked at her colleague, putting on his jacket, straightening the collar, and narrowed her eyes, "It's all over the news, how come you know so much about that?"

"Because the murderer tried to kill the Head of the Crime Lab and the place has been swarming with cops ever since," Dr. Bennet replied.

Aubrey stopped listening after he uttered the words Head of the Crime Lab and her facial expression suddenly changed from light hearted to worried, "No, no," she whispered. With that she threw the door open, exiting the locker room.

"Aubrey?" John called after her.

She turned around so they stood opposite each other.

"Where is Mac? Who's his doctor?" Aubrey Hunter asked, worriedly.

A look of confusion crossed John Bennet's face. "I am…" he looked at her, seeing the concern in her eyes, "…you know Detective Taylor?" He asked.

oooooooooo

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

oooooooooo

Chapter Four - More questions

The door to Mac's room suddenly opened and he caught himself dozing again. It half amazed him that he actually could since a nurse came around regularly checking up on him, telling him to keep awake and to adjust his pain medication.

"Mac?" A soft voice carried over the constant beeping of the monitors and equipment surrounding him.

Groggily he opened his eyes and found himself looking into the beautiful brown eyes of Aubrey Hunter. She smiled at him, "I thought detectives were light sleepers, you shouldn't sleep by the way," she said softly.

"I wasn't sleeping," he said hoarsely as he reached up with his good hand and started to massage his temples.

"I called your name three times," she returned, and then her face broke into a bright smile as she reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "Really Mac, you shouldn't have gone through so much trouble. If you wanted to visit me at work, you could have just walked through the entrance door," she teased lightly, trying to keep her own emotions in place.

Mac made a face, "Believe me; I had no intention of ending up here." A mischievous look crept over his features, "At least now I have a chance to study your bedside manner."

She crinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes, her lips curving upwards. "Detective Taylor," she admonished, feeling like a teenager again.

"You know I…" he trailed off and gasped for breath as the attempted shift in bed joggled the sore limbs and broken bones in his body.

Aubrey instantly switched into doctor mode, "Mac, how's your pain? Do you need something?" She said, her voice filled with concern.

He shook his head slightly, grimacing. "I'm good," he reassured.

She fixed him with a stare, not believing him for a minute. "You should take it easy. I've read your medical file and I have to tell you, you don't know how lucky you are," she raised her voice slightly.

Mac frowned at her.

"A fall like that could have easily broken your neck, creating massive internal bleedings or cracked your skull open," she explained.

"Well, you certainly have a flare for the drama," he replied.

She broke eye contact with him and looked away, "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to come to terms with the fact that, when we ate at the little Italian restaurant two days ago…good food by the way…could have been the last time I saw you alive," she said.

Mac smiled, "Obviously it wasn't. I have a hard head," he replied, trying to cheer her up.

Aubrey nodded, "And apparently a high tolerance for pain," she returned, clearly disliking the fact that he was in pain but didn't feel the need to tell her.

Mac threw her a look, "I don't see anything wrong with those things, and they served me well in the marines."

She grimaced, "Bet it did…and you know what…something tells me you're not going to be a good patient."

"To tell you the truth I don't like hospitals and the sooner I can get out of here the better," the former marine said simply.

"Well, you'll have to stay a few days at least. I know how bruised and broken you are and even if you don't like it, you can't turn up for work in quite a while." Seeing the smile tugging at his lips, she glared at him, "I mean it, Mac."

He rolled his eyes, "Aubrey, come on, I have things to do, a lab to run. I can't just lie around here and do nothing," he reasoned, and he hoped it would make as much sense to her as it did to him.

She made a face, crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay, why don't you get up and I'll help you with the release papers?" She challenged.

Mac had a triumphant smile on his face, but it soon changed to pure anguish as he turned onto his uninjured left side and began to elevate his upper body from the bed. The movement sent a spike of pain through his right leg and hip, the turning of his torso caused his ribs to catch fire and his vision to blur. He stopped short, _'Maybe I've underestimated the seriousness of my own condition',_ he thought bitterly. Trying to keep his breathing even and to keep the pain at bay he suddenly felt small hands gently guiding him back to a horizontal position. Looking up he saw the concerned face of Aubrey Hunter.

"Mac, I am so sorry, but you needed to see for yourself," she said apologetically.

He nodded slowly, eyes closed, willing the pain to go away, "Point taken," he said as the little action had left him exhausted.

oooooooooo

Stella knelt beside the body of a well clad man lying face down in the middle of the street. It was still early in the morning and fairly dark, as she carefully lifted one of his arms and let it come to rest next to his body. It was probably broken from the awkward angle it had been in and she couldn't do anything other than grimace as a crackle could be heard from the twisted limb. Looking up at the sound of a car pulling up beside her she saw Hawkes and Lindsay making their way toward her.

"What have we got?" The former doctor asked, pulling on his gloves.

Stella rose from where she was sitting and took the camera as Lindsay handed it over. "Look for yourself," she said to Hawkes, nodding at the corpse.

Sheldon whistled as he bent over the body. "The guy took a real beating to the head," he stared at a part of the brain that was currently decorating the street. "Seems to be leaking grey matter," he added.

Lindsay glanced over at the victim at Hawkes' words but for the moment she was more interested in the surrounding area. It was a neighborhood containing mostly office buildings, tall buildings with glass facades. Not anything criminal about it. "Do we know what happened? Or who called it in? She asked.

"As of right now, we are clueless," Stella said as she took a series of shots on the DB. "All I know is that an anonymous tip was called in an hour ago, claiming there was a dead guy lying on the street." Stella put the camera down and knelt next to where Sheldon sat, checking the John Doe for injuries. "Turn him over?" She wondered, looking at Hawkes.

"Yeah," he looked at her as he placed one hand on the shoulder and one on the head. "On three…," he said and saw her nodding back in understanding.

"One, two, and three," he finished.

They both frowned at the sight as they had turned the victim around so that he was lying on his back. "Okay, either he had a washing accident or he bought the wrong size of a tuxedo," Sheldon offered.

Stella made a chuckle, "You're mean Hawkes, and it isn't that obvious," she said.

Lindsay turned around at her colleagues' words. Her features tensed immediately as she saw the victim's face. "I have seen this man before," she kneeled next to where Stella sat. "This is the guy that followed our every step yesterday," Lindsay said confused.

Seeing that her friends didn't really follow, she explained, "I was going to bring it up on the meeting later this morning. Last night when Adam and I processed the crime scene, there was a man discreetly following our every move, and it felt like he was looking over our shoulders."

"Lindsay, are you sure this is the guy?" Hawkes asked.

She nodded, "Positive. I just wish I had gotten hold of him yesterday," she said, her features set in stone.

"The police took a lot of witness statements. Maybe he spoke to one of the officers?" Sheldon reasoned.

"No Hawkes, he simply got away, we have nothing on him. Whoever he was or what he was doing there," Lindsay looked from Hawkes to Stella, "or why he was checking up on us, that remains a mystery," Lindsay sighed.

Stella folded her arms over her chest, looking down at the dead body, "Maybe he knew our female victim?" She offered.

"If he did, he wasn't showing any concern," Lindsay said bitterly, recalling the man staring at them from a safe distance.

The coroner car arrived to take the body to the ME's office. "Are you people done?" The driver asked getting out of the vehicle.

Sheldon nodded at him. "He is all yours, Charlie, take it easy with him would you?" He said.

Charlie chuckled, "Don't worry doc, he won't complain about the ride."

A faint smile played on Hawkes lips at the morbidity of the joke, "Tell Sid I'll be down as soon as I get back." He turned back to Stella and Lindsay with a curious look on his face, "Maybe he knew something about what happened last night."

Stella set her jaw, "If he did, that means someone else was involved in the killing of Anna James yesterday evening, someone other than her so called boyfriend that Flack is watching over, back at the precinct."

Lindsay glanced at her, a look of concern spreading over her face. "Have you heard anything about Mac this morning?" She asked carefully, knowing it was tough on Stella; it was tough on all of them.

Detective Bonasera chuckled, "Well you know Mac. If you go and ask him how he feels, he'll tell you he is fine. And he is probably trying to discharge himself as we speak," she said lightly.

Hawkes just shook his head, "Not even Mac can walk away from the hospital in his current condition. He is extremely lucky he didn't end up breaking his neck or bleed to death from internal injuries," he said somberly.

Stella swallowed and her mouth suddenly turned dry, she felt a gentle squeeze around her shoulder. Turning a little she found Lindsay's warm brown eyes looking directly at her. And Stella knew that Lindsay understood how much she cared for Mac. She knew how long and deep Stella's friendship with him was.

oooooooooo

Sid looked up from the exam table as Danny came through the door, clad in the standard blue coat. "How nice of you to dress up for me, you really shouldn't have Danny," the ME joked.

A slight smile played on the CSI's lips as he neared the body of the newest victim, "I see you have your hands full."

Sid glared at him, taking his gloved hand out of the victim's stomach. Choosing not to comment, he took off his gloves and placed them in the trash bin. He then gestured for Danny to follow him to the back of the room where the female victim lay. "There was something that bothered me with this woman when she was first brought in," Sid said thoughtfully.

Messer frowned, looking down at the long haired blond woman. She was no longer covered in blood and the scar from the autopsy covered most of her torso. For a person who had been violently stabbed to death she looked almost peaceful. He wondered what she had done to deserve this.

"Danny? Are you listening to me?" Sid's worried voice broke through his reverie.

He looked at the ME oblivious to what had been said, "I am sorry Sid," Danny apologized.

The ME scrutinized him for a moment before continuing his explanation, "As I was saying, her time would have run out anyway."

Danny scrunched his face, "Okay now you lost me, come again?" he said, not following.

Sid turned to the computer screen and pointed at several pictures. "Look at this, what do you see?" He asked.

"A bloody mess?" Danny offered.

"It's a ruptured aorta, and before you say it, I know what you think. That the knife would have easily sliced it, and it did. But this woman…" he called up another photo and an x-ray, "…was suffering from an aortic aneurysm."

"What are you saying, Sid, that it was a mercy killing from her boyfriend, an insurance fraud?" Messer questioned.

"The man arrested for the murder was her boyfriend right?" Sid asked.

Danny nodded, failing to see the relevance, "Yeah, husband to be."

"Why kill a woman that is already dying and more importantly why kill a woman you love?" Sid mused.

"I'll get back to you when I have an answer to that Sid," Danny said as he turned toward the exit and began to undo the buttons on the coat. He sighed as he tossed it on the bench outside the exam room.

Danny raked a hand through his hair, thinking back to the previous night. Satisfied that they had grabbed the right guy on the spot, all of them had gone to see Mac, filling in the blanks for him and then they had gotten home to rest, relieved that their boss and friend was going to be all right and that the guy had confessed. It was the first time in months they had had such a simple case on their hands, but now Danny was not so sure anymore. New evidence and material complicated things. He was positive the death of the man Stella, Lindsay and Hawkes had found was connected somehow to the murder at the theatre. The only problem with that, was that the man in custody for killing his girlfriend, and almost killing Mac, a man called Robert Adams Green, was still locked up at the precinct. And that meant that there was another person involved in all this.

He automatically reached for his pocket as his phone buzzed and glanced at the displayed number, "Hey Adam what's up?" he asked.

"_There is something you better come and see," _the lab tech said in a hurry.

oooooooooo

A/N: Thank you so much for taking time to beta for me mav32, you are great!

Also I want to thank the readers and reviewers and the lovely people who put the story on alert, I love you guys.


	5. Chapter 5

oooooooooo

Chapter Five - Clues

Stella sighed as she walked by Mac's empty office. She was heading for the lab section opposite and saw Hawkes looking at her as she walked through the door. "Hey, how's it going?" She asked.

"Not so good I am afraid," the former ME replied with a sigh. "I have gone through everything we found next to him on the street; the coffee mug, newspapers. I don't have anything to go on," he creased his forehead, raising his eyebrows. "How's Lindsay doing with the photos?"

"Still processing and running them through the system." Stella said unhappily.

"What about you, how's it going with the clothes?" Hawkes emptied his own, now cold, cup of coffee standing on the table in the sink and grimaced.

"His shirt contained very faint traces of blood that didn't originate from his own body. And there are marks on the front of the shirt, like someone grabbed hold of him by the collar," Stella said.

Sheldon looked at her, interested.

Bonasera shrugged, "We have yet to determine who the blood belongs to and who he struggled with before he died."

Hawkes scratched his forehead and studied the evidence that had been lined up on the table once more. "Danny and Lindsay are convinced the murder of our John Doe and Anna James are somehow connected," he said glancing up to meet her gaze, "What do you think Stella?"

She ran a hand through her curls, wishing she could run this by Mac. "I don't know yet Hawkes. There are a number of possibilities out there. Up until this morning I thought we had everything covered considering the killing of Anna James, but the more time passes the more questions are popping up," Stella returned, exasperated.

She let her eyes wander to the evidence collected and stashed on the table. "There must be something we have overlooked somewhere. Even if Lindsay and Danny are right, Robert Adams Green is still locked up, so he didn't kill this guy. I have a bad feeling about this," She said somberly and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Hawkes wondered.

Stella turned around, fishing up her phone from her pocket and dialed a familiar number. "Precinct. There is something Mr. Adams Green hasn't told us," she put the phone to her ear.

"_Flack,"_ Don said as he picked up at the other end.

"Hey, it's Stella, are you in?" She asked.

oooooooooo

Danny waved at Lindsay as he walked past in the corridor, "Anything?" He mouthed.

"No," he read her lips through the glass and nodded before turning around the corner walking up to where Adam was seated. "I'm here; show me what you've got," he said curiously.

Adam glanced up from the screen at Danny's appearance. "At first I drew a blank, but then something came up," he replied and called up a newspaper. Anna James appeared down at the bottom of the third page.

"Woman scores the jackpot," Danny read, "Well that rules out an insurance fraud."

"I've accessed her transactions of late and…look at this," Adam offered.

"Empty?" Danny frowned, "Where's all the money?"

oooooooooo

Stella walked through the door to the 12th precinct and spotted Don sitting at his desk, studying something intently. She walked up to him and peered over his shoulder. "Temporal mechanics? I never had you pegged as one of those science guys," she teased.

Don chuckled, closing the book, "As strange as it may seem, it's not mine," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Stella nodded slowly with an amused look on her face and waited for an explanation.

"To make a long story short, detective Johansen brought in a guy yesterday who claimed he could revolutionize the world and he said the answer was in this book," Flack raised his eyebrows.

"Well by the look of your bored face I take it you haven't found it yet," she grinned.

Don threw her an undignified look and rose from his chair. "You think we're going to get something more out of Adams Green?" He asked.

"I don't know yet, but it's worth a try," Stella said reluctantly.

They walked into the interview room where Robert Adams Green sat waiting.

"So, Robert Adams Green, why did you kill Anna James? A woman you claim to have loved and are engaged to be married with?" Stella asked, trying to sound neutral as she sat down opposite the suspect.

Flack drew the chair next to her backwards and sat down, staring at the man responsible for almost killing Mac. "Why did you hate your girlfriend so much you felt the need to kill her?" He said bluntly and spread out the photos of the dead woman on the table for him to look at.

"I have nothing more to say," Robert stated calmly and glared at the two detectives.

"Really?" Flack returned icily.

Stella studied the man in front of her, to look for any strange reaction or giveaway. "Take a good look at her, Robert, what did she do to deserve this special treatment?" She asked in a no nonsense tone.

Adams Green looked away, swallowing.

Flack leaned over the table. "Why are you looking away Robert? You've got a conscience all of a sudden?" He wondered angrily.

Retrieving two more photos from his pocket, Flack carefully placed them on the table, right in front of their suspect. "You should take a real close look now, you bastard," he glanced up to look the suspect in the eye.

Adams Green returned his gaze to the table, his eyes red, like he had been silently crying, and for a moment Stella was confused at his actions but she quickly shrugged it off. She could show no mercy for this man, not after what he had done.

"This is Detective Mac Taylor," she began, pointing at one of the photos. "He is the Head of the New York Crime Lab. Now would you mind telling us why you tried to kill him? She fought to keep her emotions in check.

Adams Green fixed his eyes on the wall behind them with a blank expression on his face.

"I want you to listen carefully…" Flack got up from the chair and walked around the table to stand next to the suspect. "…I've worked long hours with Detective Taylor and I have great respect for him," Flack leveled his gaze at Robert. "My friend on the other side of the table is Detective Bonasera and you almost got her partner killed!" He shouted.

"Don," Stella cautioned and fixed the suspect with a fierce stare. "What Detective Flack is trying to say is that we are in no mood for games right now," she explained and there was no mistake at the underlying anger in her voice.

The tone in her voice made the man opposite them slightly nervous. "I didn't mean…" he began remorsefully and glanced down at his hands.

"Yes you did so spare me!" Flack slammed his fist in the table inches from him. "Look Robert, something doesn't add up here," he reasoned as their faces were merely inches apart.

Stella gently placed her hand on Don's arm and yanked him back to his place next to her. "You say she was your girlfriend and that you loved her but, that wasn't what you shouted back at the theatre as you left the lounge," Stella watched Adams Green closely as he swallowed and licked his dry lips.

"You murdered her and ran away…why?" Stella questioned.

For a fleeting moment Adams Green looked as if he was going to tell them something but then he clammed up again. "I…have nothing to say," he returned, his eyes once again fixated on a spot on the wall behind Flack and Stella.

"Right, what about this man?" Stella asked handing him a photo of the latest victim, whom she had just recently learned the name of.

Robert leaned forward in his chair and glanced nonchalantly at the photo. "I don't think I have ever seen this man before," he replied in an insecure manner.

"Are you sure? Because he seemed to know your girlfriend, and he watched us process the crime scene with deep interest before he left the scene," Flack said, having calmed down a bit. He shook his head. "Doesn't look good for you, it's almost like you're hiding something…"

There was a knock on the door and an older man in a tailor made suit entered the room. "Detectives, I'm Brandon Barker, Robert Adams Green's lawyer, and you have no right to question my client further without my consent."

oooooooooo

Mac stared at the wall opposite his bed and drew a deep breath, instantly regretting it as a sharp pain stabbed him in the chest. He cursed his own weakness as the door to his room opened revealing Stella, smiling at him.

"What's so funny?" He asked, slightly annoyed at his predicament.

"You, looking so miserable. It's not the end of the world, Mac," Stella replied happily.

"Hey," he protested. "I know someone who would try and leave this place just as quickly as she got here," Mac said looking smug.

She nodded, sitting down on his bedside. "Okay I give in but the fact that you are still here, monitored I might add, means that you were seriously injured, Mac, and the fact is, you had us all worried," Stella said, her features soft and her eyes filled with concern.

"Aubrey says I am on the mend," he offered.

Stella couldn't help but chuckle, "Why, did you force her to say it?"

Mac got an incredulous look on his face and she had to laugh at him.

"Enough about me, how is it going with the case?" he asked.

She made a face, "Well we can handle it."

Mac looked directly at her, "Don't give me that, tell me what's going on."

Stella sighed, clearly frustrated, "We've run into some kind of dead end but, I believe we'll have a break through any time now," she offered reluctantly as she didn't want him worrying about anything.

Mac patiently waited for her to continue, "And?" He pushed.

"And I really think you should rest," Stella answered and gently squeezed his good shoulder.

However Mac didn't let her get away so easily. He looked at her annoyed, "Stella, I haven't done anything other than rest the whole day," he whined.

"Mac Taylor, frustrated are we?" She returned teasingly.

"Stella please," he rose slightly from the bed but instantly slumped back grimacing.

"Keep still, Mac, you are here for a reason," she said, concerned for his well being. "There is something going on with the last case we got in, it's somehow connected to the murder at the theatre. Nothing seems to add up," she offered.

Mac's interest perked. "The man who pushed me?" He asked.

Stella nodded sadly, knowing that now that Mac knew he wouldn't let it go, "Yes, his name is Robert Adams Green, and he works as an insurance salesman at Legal Lockdown."

Mac pulled a face, "What else do you have on him?"

Stella shrugged, "Not much, the guy is clean but the way he acts doesn't fit an innocent person. Witnesses all say the same thing. Adams Green exited the lounge with a bloodied knife in his hand, and then you know the rest." She looked him in the eye, "How are you feeling?"

Mac ran a hand over his face and sighed, completely ignoring her question. "There's more?" He wondered.

"Yes, someone watched every step Lindsay and Adam took at the crime scene. He managed to avoid the police officers questioning the witnesses," Stella looked at him squarely in the eye with a serious expression. "Mac, that guy was found dead this morning and I…" she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

A short blond nurse in her early thirties walked in and introduced herself as Diana Wilson, Mac's nurse. "I am sorry Detective Bonasera but Detective Taylor needs to rest," she said apologetically.

"Really, I don't," he assured as he looked from the nurse to his partner.

"Detective Taylor there is a reason why you are still here," Diana said softly.

"I am rested…" he began but was cut short by a soft chuckle from Stella as she turned to the nurse. "You shouldn't pay too much attention to him; he's used to giving orders, not following them."

He gave both of them their share of the Taylor glare.

Stella watched Mac amused, "I'll be back tomorrow, Mac, besides it's getting late."

oooooooooo

Danny waited for Stella as she walked out of the elevator at the first daylight. "Did Adams Green spill?" He asked as he matched her steps.

She sighed, "Well he didn't exactly tell us what we wanted but I am even more convinced now that the two murders are connected somehow," she finished.

"Told you," Danny replied with a faint smile.

"You know, Danny, the strange part was that deep down he seemed scared. But what is he scared of?" Stella mused.

Messer shrugged, "Maybe he knows we are on to him and that we have enough evidence to bust his ass," he suggested.

"No, it's something else, if we only could figure out what it is," she returned as they walked into one of the lab sections.

They made their way over to a lab bench where Lindsay stood bent over a cloth, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Lindsay, how long did you sleep last night?" Stella asked softly.

"Not much, Lucy kept me up," she glanced at her husband.

Stella followed her gaze, "Really? And why does Danny look rested?" Both women turned to look at him.

Pretending not to have the vaguest idea of what they indicated, Danny stepped closer to the screen at Lindsay's right. "Finding anything?" He asked casually.

"You could say that," she pointed at the screen, "How about two different sets of blood splatter on our second victim's shirt?" She asked.

"He could have hit the guy he struggled with before his death," Danny suggested.

Lindsay's answer was cut short by the sound of a phone ringing. Stella fished the mobile out of her pocket, "Bonasera?" she answered.

"_Hey, Stella it's me, Flack. I've got something interesting." _

"Let's hear it," Stella encouraged. 'Finally we might be getting somewhere with this case', she thought.

"_Legal Lockdown is having money problems. Turns out the head guy, a Mr. Peters, is working a bit outside the law." _

She could picture Flack's smug face at having that figured out. "One of your contacts told you? Is he or she reliable?" Stella asked.

"_Most of the time but I'll look into it. Just thought you should now," _he said.

Stella nodded although she knew he couldn't see her, "Thanks. I appreciate it, Don."

"_How's Mac? Have you talked to him today?" _He suddenly asked.

Stella couldn't help but wince at the worry in Flack's voice. She remembered his behavior at the hospital when they had awaited news about Mac and tried to imagine what it would have been like if the roles had been reversed that horrible day. If it had been her sitting in that corridor all alone, being told that Mac had died; she involuntary shuddered at the thought and voiced an answer to his question.

"No, not today, only yesterday, but I was showed out before I could give him a full update. He seems to be doing better. I'll head over later," she assured him.

"Flack?" Danny asked curiously as Stella put down her phone.

"Yeah, turns out that the firm Adams Green is working on have money problems," she pulled a face and then smirked. "Also, the executives seem to be doing some work outside the law. I have a feeling our suspect might be involved in something," she finished.

Danny frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, "Really? That's interesting because Anna James recently turned a millionaire."

Lindsay turned to look at her husband, "You think he stole the company's money and gave it to her?" she asked in disbelief.

He shook his head, "The strange thing is that when Adam pulled the bank records, it showed that her bank account was empty."

Stella creased her nose, momentarily confused, "No, there is a probable connection to it, of that I'm sure but I don't know what it would be yet," she speculated.

"Guys, are you ready for this?" Lindsay broke in, pointing at the screen showing the result of the analysis of their John Doe's clothing.

"Foundation, blood and candy? Well it certainly wasn't a man our John Doe was fighting with," Stella said as she read the result on the screen.

Lindsay nodded with a triumphant smile on her lips, "And not just any woman, the blood on the shirt from our mystery man, which we found dead on the street, matches Anna James."

"Okay there's definitely a connection," Danny added.

"Okay," Stella crossed her arms over her chest.

"Also, the candy you see here..." Lindsay zoomed in on a picture from the theatre. "It isn't something you could just buy in the grocery store. I've done some research about it and it has been specially ordered for the grand opening."

Danny scratched the back of his neck and sighed, "I hate to bring this up but, if our second victim fought Anna James in the lounge, what exactly did our suspect do in there?" He asked.

Stella furrowed her brow, "More importantly, who is our new friend down in the morgue?" She added to the number of unanswered questions they already had.

oooooooooo

A/N: Thanks for the reviewing guys, it encourages me very much, and thank you mav32 for the beta once again, and I'm happy to know that you have time to beta the rest of the story as well. And I hope you all love a good mystery!


	6. Chapter 6

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**Chapter Six – Confusion **

Sheldon Hawkes pushed on the door handle to an exclusive private practice, only to find it locked. He glanced down at his watch; it read 08:29 AM. He looked up again as a rustling noise was heard on the other side of the door.

A woman in her early forties with short brown hair, wearing a business style dress walked over, unlocked the door for him and indicated that it was all right to enter. "I am sorry, Sir, but we are a bit late today," she said with a polite smile plastered on her face.

Sheldon couldn't help but notice her long manicured nails and the way her tight suit accentuated her curves. Her highly defined cheekbones and her otherwise perfect face was a direct give away. She looked like someone who'd just come from plastic surgery. The detective furrowed his brow. He couldn't put a finger on it but there was something…' his train of thought was interrupted as the woman turned away from him and took two long strides, slipping behind the reception desk.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked with a quizzical look on her face as she couldn't find a name in the ledger lying in front of her.

Sheldon watched her finger running down the page of the book, slightly amused. "It's all right," he said, deciding to spare her the trouble. He walked up to stand next to the counter and placed his badge on it. "I was wondering if I could have a word with Dr. Brown?" He asked politely.

She stared at him for a moment with her big brown eyes reflecting confusion, but then just as suddenly as the look appeared, it vanished again and a polite smile once again graced her beautiful face. "Of course, please sit down while I check his time table," she said softly.

"Look, Mrs…?" Sheldon tried.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm Mrs. Bennet," she replied.

He watched her for a moment as she appeared busy with something on the computer screen in front of her. However, even though she gave the impression of being calm, he had picked up on the faint anxiety in her voice, just moments before. Deciding to act before she found an excuse to deny him anything he spoke up, "…Mrs. Bennet, it's really important that I speak to him directly, it concerns a murder investigation."

Two minutes later Sheldon was shown into a bright and spacey office with diplomas hanging on large mahogany walls. He caught himself wondering if this was where his medical training would have taken him, but soon shrugged it off. He didn't want to have it this way, sitting behind a large desk, writing out prescriptions every day and listening to the constant whining of the posh people that most likely were the customers of a facility like this.

A man in his early fifties glanced up from the folder he had been reading and curiously studied Sheldon as he walked in.

Dr. Brown looked well trimmed for his age, but Sheldon couldn't help but notice the strands of grey in his black hair and the fine lines around his eyes. The CSI had become quite good at reading people during the years and the first impression of this man was that he was a greedy person.

"I'm Dr. Mark Brown, how can I be of assistance?" He asked casually.

"Dr. Brown." Sheldon acknowledged as he moved to stand opposite the doctor's large wooden desk. "I'm Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, with the NYPD Crime Lab. I need information about a patient of yours, Anna James," he finished.

The doctor's eyes hardened and he leaned forward in his chair and weighed his words carefully, "Since you are a doctor I'm sure you're aware that the records are confidential?"

Sheldon smiled politely at the remark, sitting down in one of the fluffy leather chairs opposite him. "I am sure she would've given her consent if she could, she was murdered a short time ago," he replied, waiting for a reaction of some kind.

"Oh," the doctor nodded thoughtfully and, for a while, Sheldon thought he saw remorse.

"Anna James first came to me a couple of months ago. She wasn't the average upper class patient that I usually treat. She was compassionate and friendly, a twenty-eight-year-old woman with most of her life ahead of her." A somber expression came over him. "Or so I thought," he said with sadness etched on his face. "Despite of what you might think of me, because by the look on your face you're judging me in some way, I only have the best interest of my patients in mind," he added.

"You found the aneurysm on the aorta?" Sheldon guessed, deciding not to play the innocent game with the man opposite him. He had to give him credit though for being able to instill such trust, making it very hard for an untrained person not to confide in him.

Brown nodded. "She worked out regularly, ate healthy food and drank almost nothing; still she was beginning to feel tired and weak." He shrugged, "Could have been a number of things but, unfortunately we recently discovered what was the cause of the symptoms, and as you mentioned, it was most likely a very small aneurysm that with time grew larger until the symptoms became more pronounced and interfered with her normal day routines."

Sheldon looked away; he couldn't even begin to imagine the horrible sense of getting to know you could die any day and that there was nothing that could be done about it, "Life is cruel," Hawkes returned somberly.

Dr. Brown leaned back in his large leather chair but his eyes were still focused on Sheldon. "She came to see me regularly and we talked about life, death and how to best handle the situation, but I told her she should really see a psychiatrist or at least a therapist about it," he volunteered.

Hawkes nodded, broke eye contact and glanced over at the large window as the morning sun filtered through the curtains.

Mark Brown suddenly chuckled, "She thanked me for all that I had done for her and told me that she trusted her fiancée to help her through this," a ghost of a smile creased his lips and for once the smile was genuine.

The CSI's head whipped back to the doctor at the mention of her fiancé. "Was he ever here with her?" He asked. It was an innocent question to the doctor but so very vital for the team back at the crime lab. Every piece of information they could have about Robert Adams Green was essential.

"Yes, the last time I saw her," Dr. Brown got an indistinct look on his face as if he tried to remember every detail there was to the meeting. "It was two weeks ago and I hadn't seen her that happy in a long time. She presented her husband to be and told me she had won a lot of money and that luck finally worked in her favor and not against her. That they were going to travel for a while. The reason she came to see me was that she was worried about the limitations her condition would give her while travelling. "

Hawkes pulled up a photo from the folder he had been holding in his hand the whole time, and gave it to Dr. Brown. "Is this man that came here with her?" He asked.

"Yes, I believe his name was Robert Adams Green," Brown confirmed without hesitation.

Sheldon nodded grimly as he took back the photo. _'Finally they were getting somewhere with this freaking case,'_ he thought with satisfaction.

"Did he kill her?" Mark Brown asked as his features hardened.

The former medical practitioner studied the other for a while, but as he saw only curiosity and concern for his former patient. Hawkes replied reluctantly, "It's too early to say yet, but the evidence definitely doesn't point in his favor."

"He did seem a bit nervous but, I dismissed it for concern about his girlfriend," the doctor replied thoughtfully. "Otherwise he seemed to be a very gentle and caring man," he added.

Sheldon nodded and bit his lower lip.

Now it was Mark Brown's turn to study him, "You seem frustrated Dr. Hawkes," he said.

"Yes, when we arrested Robert Adams Green he was agitated and screamed that she deserved to die for what she had done. He had, with no doubt, the murder weapon in hand while running away from the scene. What you are saying doesn't add up with the actions he took. He resisted the arrest at first, throwing a detective over the railing from an inner staircase three floors up," Hawkes finished heatedly.

Dr. Brown grimaced. "Like I said, I didn't have time to get into his character; my main focus was on Anna James. What happened to the detective?" He asked softly.

Sheldon made a face, "He is, considering the circumstances, a very lucky man," he finished.

oooooooooo

"Stella," Sid acknowledged as she buttoned the blue coat that was regular when visiting the ME's office and headed over to him. "I guess you are not really here for me?" He gave her a wry smile.

"Sorry Sid, I was going to meet a client of yours," Detective Bonasera returned with a wicked smile of her own.

"I'm afraid they are bad when it comes to give you verbal answers," he offered. "I usually have to dig it out of them," Sid returned enigmatically.

"Huh," Stella shrugged pointing at the man on the closest exam table. "I've been talking to Lindsay, and she told me you've linked this fellow to the site of Anna James murder," she questioned.

"Yes," Sid nodded his face now serious, "Did she tell you the more interesting news?" He wondered, looking intently at Stella.

"What ace do you have up your sleeve this time, Sid?" Stella chuckled.

"Our John Doe, as he is at the moment, died of a fall, as of how high it was I'll let you decide, but I can tell you that given his injuries it was relatively high. The force of the impact caused major organs to fail and crushed his insides, literally speaking, and he bled out," Sid explained.

"Forgive me, but he doesn't look that damaged on the outside." Stella peered down at the man, "Well except for the head wound," she added.

"Did Mac?" Sid asked suddenly.

Stella tensed at the mention of her partner's name in the morbid cohesion, "No, but luckily he is alive and his fall wasn't that high," she said shortly, not liking his comparison.

The ME bent down and turned the victim over slightly. "This one fell on his back and then slammed his cerebral cortex into the ground with a velocity that would have killed him instantly. The way you found him on the site, however, was not how he originally ended up," Sid explained further, choosing not to comment why he had brought up Mac's name.

"Someone moved him." Stella said with a mixture of confusion and anger in her voice. "Why would anyone do that?" She wondered.

Sid shrugged. "There are a lot of people walking around those blocks to find money or something to eat, something valuable to sell. Maybe he was mugged," he offered.

"Unfortunately it complicates matters for us," Stella returned in her normally soft voice as she turned to leave.

"Stella," Sid called after her. "I'm sorry for bringing up Mac like that…I guess I'm a bit angry at him for getting himself in that situation in the first place," Sid snapped the gloves off of his hands and sighed, offering Stella a faint smile, "Say hello to Mac for me when you see him and, tell him it's absolutely forbidden to perform stunts like that."

"I will, Sid, I promise," she assured, returning his smile.

oooooooooo

"Bingo," Lindsay said happily as she scrolled down on the computer screen. Information about their victim came over the wire from one of the many databases they had searched.

Danny quickly moved up to her, "Answers?" He asked curiously as his senses sharpened again after their late coffee break.

"Our John Doe's real name was Allan Richards and, here comes the real interesting part, he works as an insurance salesman…" She let the sentence hang in the air, waiting for her husband to pick up on it as he looked intently at the information displayed and he didn't disappoint her.

"…let me guess, at Legal Lockdown?" Danny returned dryly. "Things are starting to make sense," he added.

"Really?" Lindsay glanced at him in disbelief. "And how exactly is that?" She asked sarcastically.

Adam strode up to them with a satisfied look on his face, "Maybe I can give you another clue?" He placed a folder on the bench, "Turns out Robert Adams Green had money problems, and took some from the company. The owner of the firm, Mr. Peters didn't get along with him," Adam rolled his eyes.

"How come the police don't know about it?" Danny asked curiously and crossed his arms over his chest.

Adam shrugged and made a face, "Because it's a rumor, posted on a blog that I found while checking out Legal Lockdown, apparently some of the clients are unhappy with their insurance and want out. The only problem is, according to the blogger, that Legal Lockdown doesn't have the money to refund," he answered.

"Okay," Danny scratched his chin, "So, Mr. Peters is suspecting something and believes Adams Green is involved. Then all of a sudden his girlfriend appears to be rich, unfortunately Mr. Peters don't know she won the lottery," he said disgruntled.

Lindsay looked at her colleagues, a clandestine look on her face, "No, he thinks it belongs to the company," she said smugly.

"Wow, wow," Adam sat down on a nearby chair, "Wait a minute, what has all that got to do with Allan Richards?" He asked, clearly not following.

"Maybe Mr. Peters hired Richards to keep an eye on Adams Green?" Lindsay speculated.

"No, there is something else going on here, a piece of the puzzle that we missed. I mean why did Adams Green kill his girlfriend and not Richards if he knew he was onto him?" Danny questioned.

Lindsay crossed her arms over her chest, "I'll get back to you on that."

oooooooooo

"Mac?" A soft voice carried over the beeping machines. Startled by the sudden declaration of his name he jumped a little and then winced, as his actions caused him pain.

Aubrey walked up to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "Mac? Are you all right?" She asked softly. She didn't mean to sneak up on him, truth to be told she thought he had seen her coming.

He nodded sheepishly, looking up at her, "Just a bit preoccupied," he returned and shrugged off her concern.

A smile played at the corner of her lips as she tilted her head, giving him a suspicious look, "You are not trying to solve a case from here are you?" She asked amused.

"From a hospital bed?" He gave her an incredulous stare, yet there was something innocent about it.

"I wouldn't be surprised," she grinned and rose from her position at his bedside, "Anyways I wanted to relieve you of some electrodes."

"About time," he muttered.

"Mac," Aubrey admonished. "Do you remember why you are here?"

"How can I forget?" he replied dryly.

Aubrey's fingers softly travelled down under the v-necked hospital shirt that the CSI was wearing and he could have sworn she let her hands linger just a little bit longer than necessary.

She had a pleased smile on her face as she turned to look at the machine calling for an output signal and turned it off, "Looking good Taylor," she teased.

He had a rueful smile playing at the corner of his lips as he once again felt her fingers on his chest.

She gently straightened his shirt and a more serious expression came over her, "Looks like you have been injured pretty badly before?" She said innocently.

He sighed, "It's a long story and a long time ago," Mac said, not really wanting to indulge more time on the subject.

"The coffee is on me if you want to talk about it?" Aubrey offered.

Not that she was prying or anything, she was just curious about him and his former life in the marines. Of what she had seen so far of him was that unlike her former, badly chosen, male friends, he was courageous, handsome and witty with a gentleman's touch. Her eyes sparkled as she glanced back at her so called patient. Aubrey really didn't wish anyone any harm but she had to admit that this was pretty nice, having him in bed. And of course, as a doctor, she had the privilege to keep him for herself.

He began to chuckle but stopped almost immediately as his busted ribs protested the action, "Don't make me laugh," he said, sucking in a breath.

"I'm sorry," her eyes twinkled, "How do you feel?" She asked as she was back into doctor mode.

"Where did you learn your bedside manner?" he countered, looking smug.

"Detective Taylor, how do you feel?" She asked again, using his rank to try and give more authority to her question.

"I am hurting, Doctor Hunter, I believe that's why you're keeping me here?" He replied innocently.

She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Can you be serious with me? And don't tell me you're fine because your body language tells me otherwise."

He sighed and grimaced as he did so, he hated broken ribs, you couldn't even breathe without being in some discomfort, not that it was the first time he had busted one or two. However, since she could read his body language, there was no need to tell her of that discomfort. "My head seems to be in one piece, even though it feels like someone is drilling in my skull," he said bluntly.

She cocked her head, "That bad uh?"

"Hip and hand is quite okay," he wiggled his fingers in the cast.

Aubrey nodded, "Sounds good, and how are your ribs?" She poked him in the side innocently.

'_She certainly doesn't miss anything,'_ he thought and contemplated his answer for a while. "They only hurt when I breathe," he offered casually.

"Okay, it wasn't so bad being honest now was it?" The doctor asked happily. When he offered no reply she gently squeezed his shoulder and moved to stand. "I'll give you something for the pain shortly," she said and headed for the door.

"Last time I heard, you were going to buy me coffee," Mac pointed out.

"Nice try, Mac, but I didn't mean today. You are supposed to rest and take it easy, preferably not to leave your bed," she grabbed the door handle took one last glance at him before opening the door.

He opened his mouth to protest but she beat him to it, "I said rest Mac," with a final note in her voice.

Mac turned his head toward her, tilting it a little, and glared at her, "Is there anything else to do here except going crazy?" He asked testily.

He sunk back in his bed sheets but held his glare directed at Aubrey, who appeared too cheerful for Mac's liking. 'If she had any idea of how awful this was, being stuck in a hospital bed, hardly knowing anything about the cases he worked with on daily basis. And then there was Stella, trying to keep him in the dark, even though she knew he hated that. The rest of the team had all stopped by at least once and even though he appreciated it, he could see it in their eyes, the concern, and the frequent question of how he was feeling. He really was sick of that question, the next person who said that…' he was raised from his train of thought by Aubrey's voice.

"Don't be so cranky, Mac, it's not the end of the world," she couldn't help but to smile at him.

"Funny," he returned dead pan, his face devoid of all emotions.

oooooooooo

When Stella walked into the conference room everyone else was already seated, she glanced around the table seeing the somber faces of her colleagues. Her eyes involuntarily landed on the vacant seat at the end of the table. Stella knew where Mac was, they all knew and he was going to be okay, but still, she shivered at the thought of a different outcome. A simple chase of a suspect, like they seem to do on regular basis and he could have died, just like that. Stella forced the thought out of her mind and sat down in her chair. "Okay people, let's summarize this mess," she said unable to keep the frustration entirely out of her voice.

Lindsay called up pictures taken from the crime scene, showing a dead woman. There was no mistake of whom she was, Anna James lay on the exam table, her features still beautiful, even though she was dead. "Two days ago, at the grand opening at the newly renovated theatre, a man called Robert Adams Green stormed out of a lounge with what looked like a murder weapon in hand after killing his girlfriend," she glanced up at the picture of the twenty-eight-year-old victim.

Danny leaned forward in his chair and looked around the table, his face grim, "This scum killed his girlfriend, Anna James, in cold blood without any logical reason and then he shows no remorse pushing Mac over that stupid railing," he said angrily.

"According to the witnesses, he was the only one coming out of the room at the time of the murder and his clothes where stained with blood, also his behavior was a bit off," Lindsay offered as she looked directly at Stella.

"A bit off?" Danny questioned and gave his wife an incredulous look, "You call that a bit off? He tried to kill Mac." Danny raised his voice, "He put up a fight with the two officers working with Flack before finally being busted and taken to the squad car in which he sits down like nothing has happened."

Adam shrugged and scratched his face and thought back to the events at the theatre. "When Lindsay and I processed the scene we found no other evidence connecting a third person to the murder but still there was an unknown fingerprint," he offered thoughtfully.

"Here comes the fun part," Hawkes added, "The fingerprint matches our next victim, Allan Richards," he said and glanced around the table, taking in the various mix of emotions.

"Then we have this," Adam said and let his fingers fly over the keyboard to bring up a fresh set of pictures on the screen, "Turns out that Anna James recently won over one million dollars on a lottery ticket."

Stella stared at the screen, at the newspaper declaring their first victim a millionaire. "This must have been a gold mine for her boyfriend who is accused of stealing money from the company he works for," She reasoned.

"Sounds awful," Flack said leaning in the doorway as everyone's attention shifted from Stella to him. "You should never trust an insurance salesman," Don offered Sheldon an apologetic smile, "No offence, Doc."

"None taken," Hawkes returned.

"Now, this is where it gets weird," Lindsay said, forcing the conversation back on the right track as Flack moved over to take a seat. She looked down in a folder lying on the table in front of her, "Adams Green was on the spot, he had a motive for killing his girlfriend and he even held the murder weapon in his hand."

Hawkes snorted, "Then 24 hours later we have another victim, a man we now know is Allan Richards, his fingerprint was found at the crime scene and he works side by side with Adams Green, and…" he pointed out, emphasizing the word and, "He followed our investigation with interest."

Danny narrowed his eyes and glanced around the table before his eyes finally locked with Sheldon's, "Yeah, why would he do that and who killed him?" Danny added, "I mean it can't be Adams Green since he is lock up back at the precinct. I mean, we haven't left square one yet and it's been days," he sighed, frustrated at the lack of useful evidence and answers.

"There is one thing that is off with the entire thing," Hawkes narrowed his eyes and looked from Danny to Stella, "Isn't it a bit too convenient to find the killer with a bloodied knife in hand on the location, close to the victim? Where is his self preservation? Did anyone actually see him murder Anna James?" He asked firing of a volley of questions.

"No," Stella said as she reached up with her hands to massage her temples, feeling the beginning of a head ache. She really wished Mac had been with them. She desperately needed his sharp and analytical mind to sort out this chaos.

oooooooooo

_A/N: So sorry everyone, for the long wait; what can I say, life has been crazy. Anyway here comes a long chapter, and please tell me how I'm doing, you don't have to review, I'm glad if you just take time to read, __**but**__ those little words some of you offer me, they really inspire me to keep going! _


	7. Chapter 7

oooooooooo

**Chapter Seven – Closer**

It was early in the morning; the clock had barely passed eight, as Don and Danny walked through the entrance doors to Trinity General Hospital. The sun was shining bright and beautiful outside and the morning rush on the streets spoke of an ordinary day, but to the team from the crime lab and the detective from the 12th precinct it wasn't. If it had been an ordinary day, Flack would have reported in at the precinct, checked with the captain, talked a little about the cases he was currently in charge of and then he would have headed off to a crime scene somewhere. And Danny would have gotten up in the morning, kissed his wife and hugged his daughter, and then, when the baby sitter had arrived, both he and Lindsay would have been on their way toward the office. This day, however, Lindsay was pulling a double and he had awoken alone, finished his breakfast alone and then met up with Flack. Otherwise, on a normal day, he and Lindsay would have walked past Mac's office where he would undoubtedly be sitting, rubbing his forehead tiredly, engrossed in a case file of some sort and then he would come over and check up on them and see how things where doing with the various cases. Instead of a normal day, Don and Danny now entered the elevator and headed for the fourth floor, both of them familiar with the corridors and rooms in ward 42 by now, both of them knowing exactly what it felt like to be stuck in a bed, not able to help with the investigation or do anything at all. Still it irked both of them to see Mac in that bed because he wasn't supposed to be there, he was supposed to be in the lab.

The man in question looked up from a newspaper as they entered the room.

"Hey Mac, looking better," Danny said and smiled by way of greeting.

"Feeling better," Mac admitted and sighed, "But I am still not allowed to leave."

Don chuckled at seeing the annoyance displayed on Mac's face, "Since when has that stopped you?" He asked teasingly.

Danny shrugged, put his hands in his pockets and eased himself down in a visitor chair, "Well, we're just glad to see you still in one piece, and you scared the hell out of us for a while," he said plainly.

Mac looked at him with a serious expression on his pale face, "Actually, you weren't a pretty sight at that bar a year ago, for a while there I thought…," he didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have too because they all knew what he meant.

Danny shivered at the thought of the rehabilitation and he still remembered the look on everyone's faces, Stella's speech about Angell, the sound of gunfire and then lying in a pool of blood. The constant pain and the panic he had felt when he couldn't move his legs. The long and awful way back, his arguing with Sheldon about doing something about his situation and the look on Lindsay's face when she found out he had kept facts from her. There were times when he wondered how he made it through all that. However, it always came back to one thing; his extra family back at the lab, together with Lindsay and Lucy.

"And you," Mac looked at Flack, "You were a real mess after the explosion a few years back," he said sincerely.

"I don't remember much about it, just the old stern nurse telling me to eat, sleep and shut up," Flack admitted with a sheepish smile. But the truth was that he did remember bits and pieces of it, he just didn't want to revisit that dark place of his mind where the images popped up. He remembered a distorted image of Mac, hovering over him, telling him everything would be all right. Don hadn't understood, he had tried to puzzle the pieces together in his mind but right then he hadn't been able too. He just let Mac's encouraging voice calm him and fill him with hope. The doctors had told him afterwards how lucky he was to be alive, but for a couple of months he didn't feel very lucky, all he felt was pain and agony while he worked his way back to a normal life. Sometimes when he slept he could dream about it, but it had been a long time since.

Mac smiled, "Anything new about our case?" He asked casually.

Danny chuckled, even if Mac did his best to try and hide it, he could see it stretched his friends patience to be kept out of the loop. "Stella was serious when she said she hadn't told you?" He asked incredulously.

Mac glared at Danny's smug face. "She gave me the A but forget to mention the B," he admitted.

Flack was amused at the hint of despondency in Mac's voice but his features suddenly turned grim thinking about the information he was about to deliver. "You're not going to like this, but it turns out we may not have the right guy after all," he told his mentor and friend, his voice laced with disappointment and frustration.

Mac locked eyes with him, but to Flack's astonishment, Mac didn't seem to blame them for not being able to solve the case, instead he seemed intrigued.

oooooooooo

Lindsay pulled up a picture displaying the block in which they had found Richards. She narrowed her eyes, and was studying the screen intently as Stella came walking up from behind. "Anything interesting?" The crime lab's second in command asked hopefully.

"Don't know yet," Lindsay sighed, "Sid told me Richards took quite a fall, but so far I haven't found any evidence that he fell from one of the tall buildings in the neighborhood. There is nothing here that indicates a broken façade or anything like it. Nothing has been reported in the area, nothing's been stolen, nothing suspicious." She turned to Stella with a baffled expression, "But I don't understand, if he didn't fall out of a window, where did he come from?"

Stella made a face, "Is Adam checking the surveillance and security cameras?" She asked.

"Yes and nothing has come up so far," Lindsay returned as she zoomed in on the spot, where their victim had been lying, on the screen, "He can't just have fallen out of the sky," she added.

"Maybe that's exactly what he did," Hawkes said walking into the room with a triumphant smile on his face. "Lindsay, can you enhance that photo?" He pointed at the upper right corner of the screen.

She pulled up the picture and saw something gleaming in the skyline a bit further away in the horizon. She concentrated on the object and enlarged it, but it wasn't enough to see what it was. Lindsay ran the blurry enlargement through an imaging program to enhance the resolution and sharpen the contrasts.

Stella raised her eyebrows as the picture cleared, "Do you see what I see?" She asked bewildered.

Lindsay nodded, "A sightseeing helicopter." She turned to Sheldon, "He fell out of a helicopter?"

"Okay," Stella said, "Team up and see what you can find about this. Start with the local sightseeing companies, someone must have seen something," she finished and felt a twinge of hope surge through her body. _'Finally'_, she thought, _'Finally we are getting somewhere.'_

Lindsay shrugged out of her lab coat, "We are on it," she assured.

oooooooooo

After chatting with Mac for a while Don and Danny had gone to the lab to meet up with Adam and see if he had found anything about Adams Green or Richards, something that connected them, but there wasn't much else than that they worked for the same company.

When the clock neared mid-day Danny pulled up one of the crime lab's black Avalanches at the curb next to a tall and expensive glass façade building.

Don waited as Danny got out of the car and locked it.

Messer glanced up at the impressive building in front of them and walked up to Don, "Core financials and Legal Lockdown, sounds insuring," he said dryly.

"Well, they sure sell insurances," Flack offered as he opened the door to the lobby and they both walked in.

"You think we will get some answers?" Danny asked scratching his face.

Flack shrugged, "Who knows?" He replied with a blank look, and, truth to be told he didn't know what to expect.

Five minutes later they exited the elevator on the 27th floor and walked right into an exclusive reception. A cute young blond woman in a tight business suit looked up from the newspaper lying on the desk, "Is there anything I can do for you gentlemen?" she asked politely.

Flack returned the polite smile and placed his badge on the counter, "Detective Flack, and…" he gestured lazily toward Danny, "…Detective Messer, we want a word with your boss," he finished.

"One moment, I shall see if Mr. Peters has time to see you," she returned but it wasn't in a very confident manner, in fact she looked nervous.

Danny took a step forward, "No, you don't understand, he will take time to see us 'cause this is a murder investigation," he said in a no nonsense tone.

A door suddenly opened behind the woman and a man, clad in a tailor made suite, walked out to meet them, "It's all right, Linda, I have nothing to hide," he said and motioned for the detectives to follow him to his office.

Flack and Messer looked at each other, both wearing a curious expression. Flack shrugged and started walking and Danny wasn't slow to follow.

"Mr. Peters, are you by any chance missing two of your employees?" Flack asked as he closed the door behind them.

The corporate executive shrugged as he sat down in a huge leather chair, "They are insurance salesmen, and I don't see them in the office every day," he explained as if it where the most natural thing in the world.

"So, you don't read the news? Or, you don't know who works for you?" Danny asked testily.

Mr. Peters leaned forward in his chair and gave Danny a murderous look, "I don't like your tone," he retorted calmly.

"This is no game Mr. Peters," Flack said, taking up his notebook. "Two people are dead and we are trying to find out why," he added and stole a quick glance at Danny.

"And you think I might have something to do with it?" Mr. Peters asked dryly. "Look, I know my employees well enough to know they are not murderers," he said, dismissing their words as ridiculous.

Danny took a seat opposite him, "Robert Adams Green? Does the name ring a bell?" He wondered.

"He works for me, yes," the corporate executive admitted. "But of course, you all ready knew that," he said smugly.

"What do you know about him, any trouble at work or at home, money problems?" Flack asked, trying not to take notice of Mr. Peters rudeness.

Danny saw the man in front of him swallow as money problems were mentioned and devilish half-smile appeared on his lips. _'Looks like we are on to something, you smug S.O.B'_, he thought satisfied.

Mr. Peters ran a hand through his thick grey hair and looked down in the table, "I didn't have any problem with him, and at home…," he appeared to be giving it some thought, "I don't know, he was engaged to be married with a woman called Anna James," he volunteered.

"I don't hire just anyone, Detective, all my employees have excellent records. Can't have anything else in this business," Mr. Peters added sincerely, looking directly at Flack.

"Really?" Danny asked and smiled politely, forcing Mr. Peters to focus his attention on him instead. "That's interesting because rumor says your company will soon face bankruptcy and the complaints about the company is growing at an alarming rate. Also, it could be red at a blog, that Adams Green has been taking money from the business and placed it in his own pocket," he finished, waiting for some kind of reaction.

Peters had false smile plastered on his face, "That's quite a serious accusation detective," he said. However, this time it was without the over confident manner he had displayed before.

"You don't seem very surprised Mr. Peters, maybe the rumors are true?" Flack pushed.

He clasped his hands together on the desk and looked up at Flack who stood behind Danny sitting in the chair, "Let's put it this way, Adams Green will shortly be hearing from my solicitor," he said in a short voice.

"I see," Flack said and smiled triumphantly.

"You have another guy working for you," Danny said as he got up from the chair and walked up to the large windows to watch the busy streets of Manhattan, "Allan Richards?" He said casually.

"Yes, that's correct, he works alongside Robert," the company's executive confirmed.

"Alongside or against?" Danny countered as he turned to face Mr. Peters.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the man returned innocently.

"Oh come on now Mr. Peters, it was Allan Richards who reported that Robert Adams Green was shuffling your money into his own pockets," Flack said and walked closer to him, "Did you send Richards after him to pressure him and give the money back?" He asked pushing for an answer.

"I am sorry Detective Flack, but I thought it was Allan Richards who turned up dead and not Robert Adams Green, maybe I was incorrect?" Mr. Peters returned smugly.

Danny made a face, "So you did know Allan Richards was dead? How come you failed to mention that before?" He asked. This time it was Danny's turn to look smug as Mr. Peters facial expression turned stiff. Basically he looked like he had been caught stealing candy from a kid.

"I'll let you think about that," Danny said simply as he got no direct answer. "Do you have any idea why he would like to see his fiancé dead?" He added.

"Like I said before they seemed to be a happy couple, sounds outrageous to kill your own girlfriend, don't you think?" Mr. Peters replied.

"It's not about what we think, Mr. Peters," Flack spoke up. "Did he act strangely the last time you saw him?" He asked.

Legal Lockdown's corporate manager shrugged. "A bit nervous maybe, but I assumed it had to do with the missing money. I told him he could expect to hear from my financial advisors and the solicitor," he answered.

"Okay," Flack put away his notebook, "That's it for now Mr. Peters, but if you can think of something else please give me or Detective Messer a call."

Martin Peters nodded and pushed a button on his desk, the moment later the receptionist appeared in the doorway, "Linda, these gentlemen are finished with their inquiries, please escort them to the elevator," he said softly.

Danny held up his hand, "That's not necessary. We'll find our way out."

The executive smiled and patiently waited till the door to his office closed behind them and picked up the phone.

oooooooooo

Hawkes parked the Avalanche near an old corrugated building and headed for the entrance. As he neared he gazed up at a big yellow sign, displaying the company logo and name.

"New York Sightseeing, huh?" Lindsay said walking up to him with a folder in her hand.

"Can't be owned by a visionary," Hawkes replied.

"Well, it's spot on," she offered.

They walked into the office, seeing an older man at an antique desk. Walking closer they saw that he was studying charts and a flight plan.

The man looked up as they neared and smiled warmly.

It was like they had walked right into a time machine and stepped out in the sixties. The man was clad in a yellow coverall with the company's logo and his chin and cheeks were covered with a thick grey beard.

"I like the decoration," Sheldon said as his eyes came to rest on an old pipe lying next to the papers on the desk.

"Well I am glad, what can I do for you two? Are you perhaps interested in a tour?" The older man asked hopefully.

"Actually," Lindsay showed her badge, "We are more interested in information," she said.

He looked at them in disappointment, "Shame," he muttered.

"So," Hawkes glanced at the name tag on the cover all, "Mr. Rogers, what can you tell us about the day before yesterday?" He wondered.

Mr. Rogers shrugged, "Not much, it was an ordinary day," he offered.

"Please, it is important," Lindsay said softly, "A man has been killed and we have reason to believe that he fell out of a sightseeing helicopter," she explained.

Hawkes took out a photo from the folder Lindsay had brought with her, "Do you know this man?" He asked curiously.

Mr. Rogers put on his reading glasses and looked at the photo of a dead man lying in the morgue, "I am afraid I have never seen this man before, I am sorry," he replied sincerely.

"His name was Allan Richards, it doesn't sound familiar?" Lindsay asked hopefully.

The older man shook his head. "No, but please have a look in the log, every customer has to register before boarding a flight. However I am sure that one of my pilots would have mentioned having lost a customer," he returned somberly.

Hawkes nodded, "Okay Mr. Rogers, here is my card and please don't hesitate to call if you think of anything that could help us."

They said goodbye and stopped to take a quick look in the log without much success.

"What do you think Hawkes?" Lindsay asked as they left the building and walked out in the sun.

"I'd say this isn't the place," he said and fished up the car key from his pocket.

Lindsay sighed, "So, who's next on our list?"

"What about Manhattan Wings?" Hawkes asked.

oooooooooo

"Anything?" Stella asked as she walked up to Adam, who was sitting in front of a large computer screen, searching for a match on the surveillance tapes.

"No luck with the surveillance cameras from the NYPD, I haven't had the time to go through the private companies just yet, but I must say, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack," he said tiredly rubbing his eyes. "How did it go for Flack and Danny at the insurance firm?" Adam wondered.

Stella tilted her head and glanced down at her shoes and then back up again with a frown on her face, "Well, Danny is convinced that the owner of the company, Mr. Martin Peters, is involved somehow," she placed her hands on her hips. "He is checking out the company's and Mr. Peters' private affairs as we speak and Don had to go back to the precinct," she answered.

Adam nodded, "Heard anything from the boss?" He asked carefully, not wanting to upset Stella in any way. He knew they were close.

Stella smiled at the mention of Mac, "I have a feeling that the moment I step into that hospital room he is going to demand all the facts that we've got so far. He really needs to rest and I don't want to put pressure on him," she said by way of explanation.

"So you haven't been to see him today?" He wondered, not sure he heard right.

"No, not yet. As much as I want to see him I also want to tell him that we nailed the right guy and closed the case," she gave the lab tech a smart look.

'_Okay maybe that was not the whole truth'_, Stella thought to herself, but for Adam it would be enough. She really wanted to sit next to Mac and make sure he would really be all right, even though she knew he would be. He was her best friend and she wondered briefly when she had become so dependent on his care and support. Of course Mac had always managed to stir her feelings but she couldn't and wouldn't get involved with him in that way because then she would destroy the friendship and closeness that they already had, besides, Mac had Aubrey now.

She forced herself to be happy for him, in fact he had encouraged her when she was having second thoughts about Drew a few years back. How that had worked out was a total different thing. She had this uneasy feeling in her stomach as she pictured Aubrey next to Mac and her mouth was stretched into a thin line. _'Get a grip Stella, she won't steal him from you,'_ she thought to herself.

"Stella?" Adam asked with a look of concern on his face," Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just a bit preoccupied, sorry Adam, you're doing great, just keep looking and tell me the moment you find anything," she encouraged and patted him on the shoulder, turning to leave.

oooooooooo

A/N: Okay finally another chapter, thank you so much to those of you who dropped me review and told me how I was doing, you are great ;)


	8. Chapter 8

oooooooooo

**Chapter Eight – Another suspect **

Lindsay glanced up at a fairly new helicopter hangar with a modern sign displaying the company name in big bright blue letters, "That's what I call a contrast," she exclaimed.

Hawkes looked at her, "Would you rather fly with New York sightseeing?" He asked ironically.

"If I have to fly at all, it would be with one of our own helicopters, from NYPD," she gave him a look. "At least then I'm sure no one would push me out of it," she added by way of explanation.

"What?" he teased, "Is our Montana girl afraid of flying?" Sheldon said enjoying himself.

"Hawkes, I never said that," Lindsay replied with a glare as she opened the door.

"Okay, either they have a lot of customers or they have some kind of side business," Sheldon mumbled as he spotted a blond muscular guy in his thirties behind a large shining new helicopter.

As they started to move toward him he looked up with a frown on his face. The man seemed to be far from a technician, lacking the blue coverall and grease that they always had in the movies.

"Excuse me, do you own this place?" Hawkes asked casually.

"Who wants to know?" The man asked suspiciously.

"NYPD," Hawkes stated.

The man straightened and turned for the door to a back entrance. Then all of a sudden he sprinted toward it.

Hawkes' and Lindsay's eyes met briefly before taking off in two different directions, Hawkes rushed for the back entrance after the, now suspected man, and Lindsay took the front door.

The back door slammed shut leaving Sheldon to let out a frustrated grunt as he couldn't manage to get it open, it had obviously been blocked from the outside. He lunged himself at it, and to his relief it started to give way, but not much. Sheldon took another step back and heaved at the door, burst through it, and jumped over an empty drum of aviation fuel. He stopped momentarily to scan the surrounding area before taking off in the direction of another helicopter as he saw movement in the corner of his eye.

"Hawkes! He is going for the helicopter!" Lindsay shouted as she rounded the corner of the building, coming to the same conclusion.

Both CSI's sprinted in the direction but Hawkes was a bit faster, and in one swift movement he reached into the helicopter and grabbed at the shirt of the blond man, both tumbling out of the cockpit and onto the ground before the rotor engine had been given the command to start.

Lindsay stopped next to them and placed her hands on her knees, panting, as Hawkes handcuffed the man and turned him around to have a better look at him. "So," he said pleased with the outcome as he tried to slow his breathing. "I'll ask you again, do you own this business?" He wondered.

The blue eyes staring at Hawkes sparkled and the nervousness he had radiated before was gone and replaced by defiance. The white buttoned up shirt had one busted button at the top from where Hawkes had grabbed hold of him and his chin sported a faint mark after hitting the rough surface beneath the helicopter. And, when he finally spoke more than a few words, his voice held an underlying tone of anger. "Yes, I'm the legal owner of this sightseeing company, now I suggest you get off me before I charge for assault," he seethed.

Hawkes smiled politely as he let go off the man's arms. "So please tell me, why did you run away?" He asked casually.

Their suspect glared at him and Sheldon tilted his head and threw out his arms, "I mean it's a little suspicious, we just wanted to talk to you," he added, feeling like he was having a monologue.

Lindsay helped him stand up, her soft brown eyes searching the man's face for something to go on. "Mr?" She asked softly, trying to get him to open up.

"Adam Cooper," he offered his lips parting in a faint sheepish smile.

"Well then, Mr. Cooper, running from the police isn't something innocent people normally do," Hawkes filled in, eyeing him suspiciously.

Cooper looked from Lindsay to Hawkes, "Look if you don't want to bring me in…" he trailed off and turned his back to Sheldon wiggling his cuffed hands, hinting that they should release him.

Lindsay nodded at Hawkes as she released Mr. Cooper who gratefully ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"If it's not about the money…" he began.

"We are not interested in that, Mr. Cooper, at least not for the moment," Lindsay pulled up a photo from her pocket, "I'm Detective Messer and this is Doctor Hawkes, we are from the Crime Lab," she explained.

Hawkes watched for any kind of reaction on Cooper's face as Lindsay handed over the picture of Adam Richards in the morgue, but the man's face was unreadable, "Do you recognize the man on the picture?" She asked carefully.

To their surprise Cooper nodded. "Yes, he came by two days ago, I had just closed for the day but he was persistent and said he wanted to be flown uptown," he volunteered.

"Uptown?" Lindsay wondered.

Cooper nodded again, "That's what he said, showed me an ID, Andy Thomas," the owner of the sightseeing company replied.

Hawkes studied Cooper for a moment. "His name was Allan Richards, now did he say where he wanted to be dropped off?" The former ME asked curiously.

"He was going to give directions as we flew," Cooper responded and, unwittingly, gave Hawkes the answer to his next question, whether or not Cooper himself had a pilot license.

"You don't file a flight plan?" Lindsay questioned, "You didn't have a problem with that?" She pushed.

Cooper shrugged, "He offered me a large amount of money, I asked no questions, can't always play it safe," he admitted, sounding sincere. However, he radiated as much confidence as a deer standing in the headlights of a car.

"Obviously the guy didn't arrive at the wanted destination." Hawkes remarked dryly.

"As you might remember the weather conditions weren't ideal for a flight, but I took off and after a while he started to get nervous, almost agitated, and started to demand things. We had a disagreement and he reached for the controls, there was a struggle and I lost control of the helicopter, when I got it back the man wasn't onboard anymore," Cooper explained somberly.

A faint smile spread on Sheldon's lips at hearing the explanation, "Okay Mr. Cooper, be prepared to hear from us again," he returned shooting him an unbelieving look.

"Look, I swear I didn't kill that guy, he was insane, he could have killed us both, I know I should have reported it but…" he trailed off as civil police car pulled up close to them.

"Hey, what have you got for me?" Flack's familiar voice carried over the light breeze.

"Someone who wants to tell you a story about money," Hawkes smiled mischievously.

"Hey, you said you'd leave me alone," Cooper said angrily.

"I said, Mr. Cooper, that the Crime Lab have no interest in your money problem, the NYPD however, want to hear everything about it," Hawkes returned smugly.

Lindsay patted Don on the shoulder as he walked over, "He is all yours Flack," she assured and winked at him.

"Thanks', you just saved me from my boring day," Don answered ironically, he turned to Mr. Cooper, "Come on chopper boy, spill it."

oooooooooo

Stella walked into the medical examiner's office searching for Dr. Hammerback, "Sid?" She asked quizzically as he was nowhere to be seen.

"Yes?" he rose from where he was kneeling behind his desk, causing Stella to jump slightly.

She looked at him curiously, "Searching for clues in your own office?" she asked skeptically.

"Actually I was…oh never mind, follow me." He said a bit embarrassed at being found in that particular moment.

They walked over to the latest victim.

"Take a look at this," he said indicating faint markings on the upper body.

"Those are defensive marks," Stella stated.

"Yes, very faint, that's why I missed them before," Sid mumbled and she couldn't help but notice that he blamed himself for overlooking it.

Her features softened as she looked up at him, she certainly didn't blame him. "I've just got off the phone with Hawkes, he and Lindsay have a lead. Allan Richards tried to hire a Manhattan Wings helicopter the night he died, and the defensive marks, confirm what the pilot said," she offered.

"I don't know about you, Stella, but I don't think our fellow here fell out of the helicopter on purpose," Sid said, sounding tired all of a sudden. He gently lifted the right hand of the victim. "These fingers are broken, at first I believed it was from the fall but now I'm more inclined to believe that it happened before, maybe it even caused him to fall in the first place," Sid suggested.

Stella pictured the scenario in her mind, Richards clinging to the helicopter with his hands only, knuckles turning white as they gripped around the landing skid, and Cooper's foot as it broke the bones in his fingers.

She looked at the ME and nodded, "Thanks' Sid, I'll head back up to Adam and let him dig around a bit," she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "And, don't you worry about the markings; we all miss something every now and then."

Sid nodded a silent thank you and watched her walk toward the door. "It looked promising in the beginning," he suddenly said as she reached the entrance.

"A simple case," he added at her questioning look. "Turning out to be something else entirely," he finished.

Stella chuckled, "Isn't it always?" She wondered.

oooooooooo

Lindsay sat in the blue helicopter, the one they had tied to the night of the so called accident, and carefully collected evidence from the cockpit.

Danny walked up to her, a bag in hand and gloves on his fingers. "Manhattan Wings huh? It's quite a place," He smirked while glancing around the place.

Lindsay nodded with a smile on her face, "Feel like taking a trip?" She asked teasingly.

"You have a helicopter license?" He returned wittingly.

"Nope," she said and took a print off the yoke.

Danny snorted, "Too bad," he watched her amused. "So, what have you got so far?" He wondered.

"A couple of prints, a piece of fabric stuck between the two back seats," She turned to look at him as she closed an evidence bag. "One thing is interesting though," she nodded her head at the yoke and frowned, "There are two set of prints on the yoke," she finished.

Danny shrugged, "So, your Mr. Cooper said they had fought the controls," he said, not following where she was going with it.

"Yes, they fought for control of the yoke, but not the way Cooper said," she said furtively, her upper lip curled slightly at the evidence in front of her. "This print is partly overshadowed by the other one, look at the grip of the yoke," she urged him.

"Both flew the helicopter?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"Then take a look at this," she pointed at a print on the side of the yoke; made in such way that it looked like the pilot had been thrown out the window.

"I bet they fought for control all right," Danny said dryly.

They both looked up as footsteps echoed in the hangar, "Hey guys," Adam said putting down his kit on the floor.

"Hey, coming to help in the real world?" Danny teased.

"Hey, I do a lot of good behind the computer screen, "Adam replied with a feigned hurt look. "In fact, I can even offer you a motive," he said smugly.

Lindsay's interest peaked, "Sounds interesting."

"For who? A motive for who? Adams Green, Richards, Peters or Cooper?" Danny asked curiously.

"Touché," Adam replied, "While checking up on the economical finances, I noticed a transaction between Adams Green and Richards, and the amount matches the sum Anna James won on the lottery ticket," he explained.

"Wait a minute; he transferred her money from their joined account to his colleague?" Danny looked skeptical.

"Huh," Lindsay looked at her husband, "Should I worry about our joined account?" she asked.

"Never Linds," Danny reassured her and looked over at Adam, "Did she know?" He wondered.

"I'm not sure we will ever know," he answered sadly, putting on a pair of gloves.

Lindsay caught Adam's faint smile, "There is more, come on Adam, don't keep us waiting," she urged with a twinkle in her eye.

"A private surveillance camera picked up a meeting between Adam Cooper and Martin Peters the night after Richards death," Adam said.

Danny clasped his hands together. "I knew it, I knew he was involved somehow, sounds like you hit the jackpot, does Stella know?" He wondered briefly.

Adam nodded, "Yeah, she's hooking up with Flack as we speak."

oooooooooo

"This is getting more and more interesting," Flack said smiling as Stella walked over to his desk at the precinct.

"Looks like Danny was right, Peters is definitely involved," Stella offered. "You ready to talk some sense into Cooper?" She asked.

Don nodded, "Listen I hear Sinclair is breathing down your neck," he said carefully.

"Yeah, sensitive stuff, if it gets out…" Stella trailed off and rolled her eyes.

"The Harrold case?" Flack asked simply as they stepped out in a secluded corridor of the precinct.

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

He looked over his shoulder, making sure no one heard them. "I worked with Mac on that," he explained.

"What's been going on Don?" Stella questioned.

"Do you remember the dead black guy in the morgue a few weeks back?" He asked casually.

She nodded, "Quite a resemblance to Sinclair, the press went crazy about it," Stella concluded.

"Are you ready for this? Turns out to be Sinclair's half brother, worked on both sides of the law," Flack looked around satisfied that no one seemed to pay attention to them. "Mac and I found evidence that Joseph Harrold was involved in the assassination plot against the Mayor a few months back," he said seriously.

Stella swallowed, suddenly not liking where this conversation was heading. "How come no one knows about this?" She asked her voice no more than a whisper.

"It was a secret investigation, Mac's hands have been tied, so to speak, and the Feds have been right behind us, they suspect we are hiding something," Don replied darkly.

"Do you know who killed him?" Stella asked out of curiosity.

"I don't think you want to know," Flack returned and something in his voice made her shudder.

"Sinclair shot his brother?" Stella glanced around before continuing, "Is that what the evidence says?" She pushed.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, it was in self-defense," Don volunteered.

Stella's features darkened as she got the picture clear in her head. "Don, if this comes out, he is finished in the force, who do we give the evidence?" She said pressing her lips together in a thin line.

"Sinclair," Flack replied

"That's so wrong Don," she argued.

A mischievous smile crept over Flack's face. "Do you think Mac would've just handed it over?" He asked.

Stella smirked. "Copies?" She wondered.

"Where Sinclair would never find them," Flack returned smugly and smiled. "Now, what about bringing some sense into Cooper? Rattling his cage a bit."

"After you," Stella returned.

oooooooooo

Aubrey stared at the empty bed in front of her, "Mac?"

Receiving no reply she turned around to look back out in the corridor, and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure coming toward her.

"Seen a ghost?" An amused smile played on his lips as he took in her confused expression.

"For a while there I thought you had escaped," the ER attending admitted.

"Am I allowed the decency to go to the bathroom?" Mac asked innocently.

Aubrey sighed and looked down in the floor, but when she lifted her eyes again they flashed with concern, "I am sorry, I was worried about you," she said softly.

She placed a hand on his forehead as he walked up to her, "Let me escort you to bed."

A wicked smile spread across his face, "Charming. Tell me, do you enjoy this?" He teased.

Her face was serious, her features almost angry as she answered, "No, Mac, I don't, I don't like to see you in a hospital bed and I don't want to think about the fact that I could've easily lost you, but…," she softened and a smile creased her lips, "But I do like having you near," she revealed.

"So," he grimaced as his legs slid over the edge of the bed and under the covers, "How about a coffee?" He said.

At her questioning look he added, "In the cafeteria, I won't leave the building."

Aubrey fixed him with a stare. "I came here to examine you," she said, annoyed that he took his condition so lightly.

He sighed, "Well, it was worth a try," he mumbled as he felt her hands slip under his shirt.

Never in the world would she admit to the sensation in her stomach as she touched him. _'Aubrey Hunter get a grip',_ she admonished herself, _'They were friends, weren't they?'_ She reasoned with herself. This wasn't exactly how she had pictured touching him for the first time, but the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted him to herself. It had been an instant attraction to number 39 and it hadn't diminished since then.

oooooooooo

A/N: I want to give a special thank you to Shaz1 for the wonderful review, I really needed that! And as always I would love a review, it doesn't have to be long, I just want to hear from you that's all. I hope you're still with me.


	9. Chapter 9

oooooooooo

**Chapter Nine – The set up **

Hawkes looked up as Flack and Stella walked past him, outside in the corridor. He hurried over and knocked on the glass, "I've got something interesting," he mouthed through the glass wall and urged them to join him.

Stella nodded and headed for the door with Flack not far behind. "Us too," Stella said as they walked up to him.

Sheldon tilted his head and frowned before picking up a kitchen knife from the bench. "This is the knife that was used to kill Anna James, and look at this," he said smugly and tipped the blade slightly. "It's a partial print, but I have managed to get a match, and it doesn't belong to Adams Green," he finished unsurprised.

Flack made a face," Let me guess, Allan Richards?" He suggested.

Sheldon nodded, "He didn't kill his girlfriend after all, or at least not alone. Richards was there that night, we just didn't suspect him," the former ME said angrily.

"Now, that doesn't make sense, why did he let him get away with it? If Richards was there, why did Adams Green take the blame for it? There is something here that doesn't add up," Stella reasoned.

The three of them looked up as there was a knock on the doorframe. "There you are," Danny said standing in the doorway, "Linds and I have something you need to see," he waved for them to follow him further down the corridor, to another lab section.

oooooooooo

The female Messer looked up from the screen in front of her as Danny, Stella, Hawkes and Flack walked up to her. "The print I took from the helicopter yoke matches Adam Cooper and Allan Richards," she informed them triumphantly.

"So, Cooper didn't tell us the whole truth," Hawkes mused meeting Lindsay's eyes.

"No, I have talked to Sid about it, and given everything that we know I would say that Cooper pushed Richards out of the helicopter, after he fought to get control of it. Cooper managed to get Richards out of the cockpit, but Richards didn't fall directly; he clung to the lower part of the helicopter," Lindsay's lips curled upwards satisfied that she had straightened out that question.

"Sid was on the right track," Stella contemplated as she once again saw the images in her head. "Cooper broke Richards's fingers, causing him to release his grip and plunge to his death," she added.

"Richards tried to take over the helicopter, it might just as well have been the other way around, maybe it was just pure luck that Richards didn't kill Cooper instead," Danny reasoned.

Lindsay looked at Stella, "The fact remains, Adam Cooper killed Allan Richards, but why and how is that connected to Robert Adams Green's dead girlfriend?" She wondered feeling like she was missing a vital piece of the puzzle.

"Actually, it's not exactly what it seems," Flack replied as he seemed to possess the piece Lindsay was missing. "In the beginning Cooper and Richards worked together with a side business that they both benefitted from," he explained contentedly.

Stella shook her head slightly and couldn't help but chuckle. "Money laundry, greed and big misunderstanding, I would say that sums it up," she guessed and raised one eyebrow at Don.

The Detective in question shrugged. "What can I say, one thing led to another and," Flack offered and glanced down at his watch, it was close to showdown. "Hopefully we will bring down the last piece of the puzzle in a couple of hours," he returned hopefully and turned toward the exit. "Come along Danny boy," he shouted over his shoulder.

oooooooooo

Adam Cooper walked cautiously into a deserted ally as he took one last look at the expensive watch around his arm. A feeling of unease settled over him as another man walked out of the shadows. It was not a regular beggar from the streets, but a man clad in an impeccable business suit.

"This better be good Cooper," Martin Peters said angrily.

Cooper kept his head cool and felt some of the unease leave his body as the other man walked closer and an evil smile played on his lips, "Listen to me Peters, no one double crosses me," he returned icily.

"What are you talking about?" Legal Lockdown's executive asked confused.

"Don't give me that, you know what I am talking about," Cooper spat.

Once a fairly good boxer, Peters fought down the urge to give Cooper a mean jab, instead he took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. "Why have you called me here?" He asked, knowing that his calm exterior demeanor would cause Cooper to hit the roof.

However, to Peters' surprise a malicious smile crept over Cooper's lips. "Don't play innocent with me; you tried to frame me for Richards' murder," he returned in a normal voice.

"Well," Peters smiled. "He did fall out of your helicopter," he said provokingly.

"He came to me, telling me, you had threatened to kill him. After a while he started to turn against me, claiming he had been set up and that I was going to kill him for you. He tried to take control of the helicopter but I got it back, the prize was Richards' life, it was either his or mine," Cooper said and licked his dry lips. "You forced me to kill another human being!" he shouted unable to contain his temper anymore.

Peters, who stood calmly in front of him, threw his head back and chuckled dryly, "You're pathetic, you should hear yourself. I would never do such a thing," he answered casually.

Cooper snorted, "No, of course not, you hired others to do it for you," he returned ironically as he turned to look his former ally in the eye.

Peters' features hardened, "You can never prove that," he replied in a low voice.

Cooper's lips curled upwards in amusement at Peters' reaction. _'The S.O.B was actually letting on how he worked,'_ he thought, pleased with the game he was playing. "Really? Allan framed Robert, killing his girlfriend, after she found out their shady schemes but before that he told you he had tracked down where your stolen money was," Cooper looked smug and raised his voice slightly as Peters opened his mouth to protest.

"He failed to mention that he was very much involved in all of it. You paid him money to get it back, but he became afraid you were somehow onto him so he came to me that night, after cashing out all the money he could without raising too much suspicion, and wanted out of the business," Cooper added.

Peters' had a murderous look on his face and he clenched his fists as spoke up, "Either way, Robert is going to prison, Allan is dead and you've got the police at your tail. It's simple; no one takes my money and gets away with it," he stated in a clipped voice.

"You knew he was involved didn't you?" Cooper pressed.

"It doesn't matter now, whether or not I knew Richards was in on it or not. Good bye Cooper, this business arrangement is closed. I want nothing more to do with you, stand in my way and I…" he trailed off as someone moved toward them.

"You'll what Mr. Peters?" Flack asked innocently stepping out of the shadows behind him.

The businessman stared at the Detective for a moment, taken completely by surprise, and then lunged at him, causing Flack to temporarily lose his balance, but the minute he stepped out of the ally a black Avalanche cut him off. Danny jumped out of the driver's seat, slammed the man onto the hood of the car and held him in a tight grip, "Going somewhere?" He asked.

"This is police brutality!" Martin Peters replied heatedly.

"If you don't shut up I'll show you police brutality," Danny retorted in a low voice.

Flack straightened his shirt where Peters had lunged at him and looked at Cooper who was standing to his right, carefully guarded by two officers, "Don't want to run for it?" he asked casually.

"Don't want to ruin my shirt," Manhattan Wings' owner mumbled unhappily.

oooooooooo

A/N: I know, this chapter was a short one and a bit OC, but it needed to be written, please forgive me. It looks like the team is actually going to solve the case after all, and it's only two more chapters to go. Stay tuned for some team scenes and Mac/Aubrey.


	10. Chapter 10

oooooooooo

**Chapter Ten – Explanations and conclusions**

By the time Danny and Flack finally arrived at the hospital, the rest of the team had already arrived. Reaching for Mac's room they saw him through the window, sitting up in bed, looking much better.

"Mac," Flack acknowledged happily, a smile playing on his lips, as he walked through the door.

Two steps behind, Danny closed the door behind him and cast a quick glance around the room until his eyes finally landed on Lindsay. She nodded at him, smiling softly. It was such a relief to see all of them back to their normal easy going manner. This case had taken a toll on all of them, more or less. Danny shook his head slightly, thinking back on the last couple of crazy days, although now, it was with satisfaction and not frustration. He went up to Mac's bed and placed his hands casually on the bed frame at the far end of it. "You seem almost back to normal, how are you feeling?" He asked carefully as he knew Mac didn't like to feel vulnerable and indisposed. However, even in a hospital bed, Mac had an aura of authority over him and the determined look on his face told Danny that it wouldn't be long before someone, probably Stella, had to give him a lift home.

Mac frowned at him before an enigmatic half-smile crossed his face, "Almost?" He asked innocently, shifting slightly in the bed, earning a snort from Stella and a glare from Lindsay.

Danny and Don shared an amused look, not seeing the slight, almost unnoticeable wince that the movement elicited but it didn't go unnoticed by Sheldon, who's medically trained eye knew what to look for, no matter how hard Mac tried to hide it.

Hawkes threw a worried glance in his direction but he didn't say anything, and for that Mac was grateful. Instead it was Adam who suddenly spoke up, "You okay boss?" The lab tech asked, his voice a mixture of concern and curiosity.

When Adam had first arrived to work at the Crime Lab he had had a great respect for Mac, he still had, and he had been terribly afraid to do something wrong, afraid of losing his job. Little did he know then that he would be an appreciated colleague and also become part of a big family where everyone looked after each other, supported each other. Mac was the spider in the web and Adam didn't know what he would have done if Mac hadn't been around anymore.

"I'm fine, Adam," Mac said casually, but his voice seemed strained somehow.

The fact that Mac was lying in a hospital bed and not standing in his office at the moment kind of gave it all away; he was, in fact, quite far from fine. His side ached as he breathed and he had to carefully coordinate his movements not to juggle any broken bones or sore parts of his body.

"I've had worse," the lead CSI added.

Sheldon chuckled looking at Flack, who glanced at him, amused.

"Actually I believe him," Danny said, he knew Mac didn't want to talk about it anymore. And he respected that as Mac had respected him, when the roles had been reversed, a year ago.

"So, have you solved the case?" Mac asked curiously and turned to Stella, impatiently waiting for her to answer.

"Come on Mac, of course we have," Stella said, pretending to be offended.

"We never leave anything unfinished," Danny added sneaking his arms around his wife as he moved to stand behind her chair.

Lindsay smiled, "Right Mac?" She said happily.

"Then maybe you could all fill in your poor boss?" He tilted his head a little, an innocent look on his face.

Stella slapped him lightly on his shoulder, "Are you pouting Mac?" She asked amused, slightly tugging at her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing at his boyish expression.

Lindsay looked at the two of them, and couldn't help but smile. She felt Danny tighten his grip around her shoulder and looked up to see him smiling too. Lindsay shook her head slightly and started to fill Mac in. "The female victim you found at the theatre was Anna James, she was a real party girl and quite popular but as time went by she wanted something steady in her life, to find someone, settle down and start a family with," Lindsay explained.

Hawkes made a face, "She met Robert Adams Green at a party, and apparently, they started seeing each other. Friends to both of them that we have questioned said that they had never seen any of them so happy."

Flack looked at Sheldon, "Then what really happened?" He asked skeptically.

"He had the girl but no money; he started feeling pressured about it," Sheldon replied.

Danny shrugged, "Same for me, I mean I have the girl but…" He trailed off feeling Lindsay nudge him in the side.

Mac looked at him, "Is that your way of saying you want a higher salary?" He wondered.

"Anyway," Stella said, "Adams Green, despite having money problems, suddenly bought a new car, started playing golf at an expensive club downtown and gave Anna jewelry," she filled in and crossed her arms over her chest.

Flack whistled, "No way, he managed that in a legal way."

"You're right, smart head," Danny said amused.

Don threw him a glare.

Lindsay chuckled, "Don't mind him, he wouldn't have figured it out either," she said giving her husband a poignant look before once again settling her eyes on Flack. "Adams Green started to shift money from the several bank accounts he had access to, while working at Legal Lockdown. He made up, or falsified, newly insured companies and gained extra money to fill his own pockets," she finished.

"Yeah," Stella said as she continued from where Lindsay had stopped. "The only problem was that Allan Richards found out and saw an opportunity to get in. He refrained from telling Mr. Peters' about the money, if he could become involved. Unfortunately the money Adams Green managed to lift from the company wasn't enough for Richards, and the shady schemes he had planned," Stella said, a dark look crossing her face.

"Greedy son of a bitch," Flack muttered.

"Adams Green had a few choices. He could either; come clean and confess to his boss, lose both his money and job, or be prosecuted and go to jail, leaving Anna to realize what kind of guy he really was," Stella continued.

"Somehow I don't think he chose that last one," Hawkes said ironically.

"Or," Stella turned to Sheldon, "he could let Richards in on the business and expand it to money laundry through Coopers company," she smiled slightly but it didn't reach her eyes.

"You know that has been bothering me, how did Cooper get into the picture?" Adam asked no one in particular.

"It turns out that Richards and Cooper went to school together, they must have kept in touch," Lindsay reasoned.

Mac raised his eyebrows, "So, I take it Adams Green got cold feet and wanted out?"

"Yes, it turned out to be something much bigger than he had first anticipated, but as he was about to think of a way to come clean, Anna James collapsed and became admitted to a private hospital after recommendations from Dr. Brown," Stella said as she looked at Hawkes waiting for him to continue.

"A lot of money was spent on her illness and after weeks of different tests they finally found out the cause of her problems, she was diagnosed with an aneurysm on her aorta, it literary signed her death warrant," Sheldon looked at Stella who avoided his gaze and looked down in the floor.

"It changed everything for Adams Green, he suddenly didn't care anymore, he began to distance himself from her and emotionally he pushed her away when she needed him the most, he became irritated and nervous on the job and Mr. Peters was suddenly suspecting his behavior," Flack reasoned.

Hawkes nodded, "When I talked to Dr. Brown he said that the man standing next to Anna the last time he saw her was nervous and agitated, he didn't seem to take notice of his surroundings," he said, finally seeing how it was connected.

Adam slouched in his chair, "Then Anna bought a lottery ticket and, I don't know if it was faith that wanted to give them a second chance but…, anyway she won a million dollars," Adam smiled at the irony of the situation.

Mac nodded, "He suddenly saw an opening and transferred her money from their joined account to Legal Lockdown and arranged a meeting with Mr. Peters?" He reasoned, handing the file he had had in his lap over to Stella with a smug look on his face.

Flack chuckled and looked from Mac to Stella, "How do you do it? I mean how can you guess right just by listening to bits and pieces?" He asked amazed.

"I'll share that secret with you sometime," Mac said furtively.

"Before that meeting took place, Peters tied Allan Richards to the missing money and threatened to go to the police, firing him from the company," Stella explained further, "Richards became furious and thought Adams Green had sold him out. He mistook the money Anna had won for the ones he had given to Cooper. In other words he thought Adams Green had taken the money from the money laundry business to give them back to Legal Lockdown."

Flack made a face and was quick to catch on to where Stella was going. "Fuelled by losing his job, being accused of falsifying stolen money and threatened by his former boss, he tracked down Robert and Anna at the theatre," the homicide detective reasoned.

"In the lounge Allan accused Robert of stealing the money and selling him out. In the end Anna had heard enough and began to realize what kind of man her husband to be really was. She told both of them she wanted nothing more to do with any of them and began to walk away. Richards then panicked, as he was afraid that Anna would tell someone. He got hold of a knife and lunged for her, but Robert managed to intervene and she reached the door. However, as she grabbed the door handle Richard broke free of Robert's grip and reached out to her. He hauled her back into the room and threw her onto the floor, stabbing her to death," Lindsay explained darkly as she could easily picture the event in her mind.

"Well, he certainly showed no mercy," Flack said angrily, thinking back at when he first walked into the room.

"That was the breaking point for Robert, who felt he'd lost everything. He lost his grip of the real world, his mind went blank. Not thinking rationally, he got up from the floor and took the few steps over to Anna and gently eased the knife out of her chest. The hatred and rage is consuming him as he turns to his colleague. Allan temporarily freezes but as Robert is reaching for him he pulls a gun on him," Lindsay explains further, feeling herself shivering.

"I don't understand the next part," Adam said looking at Lindsay for her to continue, "I mean how come Richards ended up in Adams Green's clothes?" He said baffled.

"Oh," Sheldon smiled, "I can tell you that one. Allan panicked after realizing he is going to get caught for murder, he forces Robert out of his clothes and temporarily binds his hands."

"The scuff marks one of my officers saw when he was hand cuffed," Flack said as it dawned on him.

"Exactly, anyway, Roberts fragile mind starts to plead with Allan but he don't listen and threatens to kill him," Sheldon adds.

"So, parts of the story he told us back at the station was true?" Danny shook his head.

"Allan pushed Robert toward the door with the knife still clutched in his hand and closed the door," Stella said.

"There is one thing I don't understand, how did Allan get out of the room unannounced? There was only one way to exit that room," Lindsay asked.

"There were a lot of people moving around at the crime scene when Flack and I got there, he could have easily slipped out through the door undetected," Mac offered.

"There is one thing I would like to know," Don turned to look directly at Mac, "What really happened up there?"

Mac felt all attention suddenly shift and focus entirely on him; he sighed and grimaced as the action caused his broken ribs to protest. "I went after him, he wouldn't stop, not that I had expected him too. I chased him down the flight of stairs for a while and jumped into the elevator trying to intercept him further down," Mac chewed on his lip, and for a fleeting moment a look of defeat came upon his face. "I had him within my reach and I was pointing my gun at him", he felt Stella's hand softly squeezing his shoulder. He looked up at her suddenly feeling grateful for the gesture.

"I told him to hand over the knife, nice and slowly, but when my attention was on the knife he lunged for me and I was totally unprepared for it," he looked away from them for a while, frustration evident on his face.

"Mac, you couldn't know," Stella said softly.

"It's not that, damn it, I'm a marine and a detective…" he trailed off, the anger and disappointment directed at himself not lost on is team.

"If it is to any consolation I don't think anyone of us would have foreseen his actions, we would have gone over the railing as well," Flack offered reassuringly.

Hawkes nodded, "Don is right, Mac, you couldn't have known."

"I felt myself going over the railing and I fumbled for something to hold onto, but there was nothing," Mac looked down at his hands and then at Flack, "The next thing I remember is you, calling my name," he said.

"When I saw you lying there I swear I thought you were dead, Mac," Flack admitted.

"Actually, Mac, you should…" Sheldon began.

"…be happy I'm still alive?" Mac finished for him.

"Yeah, don't scare us that way again," Danny said.

Feeling emotions begin to surface, Mac took a deep breath, as deep as he could without being in pain and switched subject. "So, when you caught Robert Adams Green…" the lead CSI looked expectantly at Don.

"We didn't bother to look around?" Flack finished and then nodded, "No, we had our guy, or at least that's what we thought," he added his tone suddenly darker.

"While Adam and I processed the crime scene there was a man following our every move with great interest," Lindsay said.

Mac looked at her, "Allan Richards?" He assumed.

Lindsay nodded, "He stayed behind to ensure himself that we wouldn't find anything of interest, anything that could tie him to the scene."

Adam snorted, "Richards then transferred the money from the account at Legal Lockdown where Adams Green placed them and had them back into the money laundering business. I'm actually quite impressed by the way he did it," he said.

"At the same time Peters managed to track down Cooper and have a nice little chat with him. Unknown to Richards, Cooper was offered money from Peters to end his little profitable business or else he would be prosecuted and brought in front of a jury for falsifying money. He also told Cooper that media would be glad to have his little company under the microscope, and that he knew everything about the partnership between him and Allan Richards," Flack said.

"Why did he leave Robert out of it?" Danny asked.

Flack shrugged, "You'll have to ask Peters about that," he replied.

"So, they took off in the helicopter and then Richards accidentally fell out?" Mac questioned.

Hawkes made a face, "Well, Cooper wasn't lying when he said the weather wasn't ideal for flight."

"Because of the fog?" Lindsay asked.

"And the wind," Danny added, answering her question indirectly.

"Richards put two and two together and demanded Cooper to land. He confronted the chopper pilot about what he knew and they had an argument," Hawkes looked around the team, his features grim. "Richards tried to pry the yoke out of Cooper's hands but instead he was forced out through the open window," he said.

"He grabbed the helicopter skid, James Bond style and…" Adam looked up to see the rest of the team staring at him, "…uhu anyway to make sure Richards wouldn't get back up again Cooper used his boot to crush almost all off his fingers and watched his former business partner plunge to a certain death," the lab tech filled in.

Flack made a face, "Nice fellow," he muttered.

"However, it did take all of Cooper's skills to get the chopper back up and flying horizontally again," Stella said looking from Mac to Flack.

"But," Lindsay said, "Cooper didn't trust Martin Peters and knew he was being cornered. So when Hawkes and I walked through the door to his private company he thought Peters had called the police, trying to frame him for the suspicious death of Allan Richards."

"Martin Peters himself chose to lay low because he knew that there was nothing that really tied him to any of the events that had occurred, but," Hawkes glanced at Stella, "Flack and Stella managed to convince him to bring Martin Peters with him in his fall," he said nodding at his friends with a smile on his face.

Mac looked at Stella, "One died, one lost his company, the third lost his girlfriend, freedom and money, the fourth is going to jail for accomplice to murder," he summarized.

"Not every tale has a good ending," Stella offered.

"Poor lost souls, all they wanted was a little more than they could afford," Don added.

"Well, at least they are taken care of and they won't be able to harm anyone again," Mac replied.

oooooooooo

Aubrey switched off the small penlight and sat back on the side of the bed, "Okay Mac," she said, smiling at the questioning look on his face.

"What's the verdict?" he asked sitting up in bed.

"Well, you'll live, actually everything is healing nicely and there are no signs of any of the smaller internal bleedings you had when you first came into the ER," she explained happily.

He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"And since you are not experiencing any head ache, dizziness or tiredness and your pupils are reacting normally, it's safe to say that you have overcome the concussion, and the severe swelling on your hip has been reduced markedly over the last few days," she informed him.

"The few days?" Mac asked with an incredulous look on his face, "I have been here for almost a week Aubrey," he replied and if she didn't know any better she would say he was whining.

She tried her best to ignore him but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "How's your shoulder and hand doing?" She asked casually.

He shrugged, "Shoulder is pretty good but the hand is…," he lifted his arm and wiggled his fingers, "…a bit painful," he grimaced slightly.

"Okay, I'll get you a prescription for the pain and then I think you are good to go. What do you say?" She asked.

"You're actually going to release me?" He said hopefully.

"On one condition, that you take it easy and," Aubrey looked at him sternly, I really mean that Mac, those ribs are far from healed," she told him sternly.

He looked at her with a satisfied look on his face, although, he didn't say anything, not protesting or acknowledging her advice.

"And," she added, "You are supposed to rest and heal nothing else. Don't even think about setting foot at the lab," she softened and leaned in, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Just to be on the safe side I have called Stella to pick you up and drive you home," she said smugly.

"I would never dream about going back to work," he returned innocently.

"Nice try, Mac," she rose from his bedside and headed for the door, "I'll swing by your place later," she said enigmatically.

"How do you know where I live?" Mac asked curiously.

Aubrey chuckled, "Oh I have my ways, Detective," she said softly.

Mac watched her walk down the corridor and then spotted Stella and Hawkes exiting the elevator, heading his way.

Stella smiled happily as she threw a bag at his bedside, "Hey, Mac, I brought some fresh clothes, Sheldon and I have come to bail you out," she said happily.

Mac frowned, "What took you so long?" He asked.

"Look, I believe I saw Dr. Hunter, I'll just have a chat with her, be back in no time," Sheldon excused himself.

Stella watched him leave before heading up to Mac, sitting down at his side, "Here let me help you," she offered, knowing that it would be tough for Mac to just get out of the hospital clothing.

Mac had an amused look on his face as he watched her gently starting to get him out of the V-necked hospital shirt, "If I didn't know better Stella Bonasera…" he began with a twinkle in his eye.

She rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Mac, don't get any ideas, besides, can't I help my best friend when he is in need?" She asked innocently.

oooooooooo

_As always I'd love a review, they make me so happy :D, stay tuned for the last chapter!_


	11. Chapter 11

oooooooooo

**Chapter Eleven – Falling for you **

When Hawkes walked back into the room about five minutes later, Mac and Stella stood opposite one another, both looking equally stubborn, neither of them wanting to back down from whatever argument or disagreement that had occurred moments earlier. Sheldon couldn't help but chuckle, "Are you two done?" He asked softly.

"Yes," Mac replied shortly.

"No," Stella said angrily. "Help me out here, Sheldon," she added, her eyes not leaving Mac for a second.

"I'm not sitting in a wheel chair. End of discussion," Mac replied in a low voice that left no room for argument.

'_So, that's what it's all about,'_ Sheldon thought as he watched his two stubborn friends, standing face to face, none of them wanting to give in.

She threw out her arms, "Why, do you have to be so stubborn?" Stella asked heatedly.

"Oh, I'm stubborn?" Mac returned disbelievingly.

Hawkes looked from Mac to Stella, amused, "How do you feel, Mac?" He asked forcing himself to become serious.

"I'm fine, Sheldon," Mac replied with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Okay, let's compromise a bit," he looked at his boss, "Mac, you can walk…" Sheldon saw out of the corner of his eyes, the disgruntled look on Stella's face as she opened her mouth to protest.

"…but only if you take it easy and tell me the minute you are in pain," the doctor cautioned. He could feel Stella's glare as he walked up to Mac.

oooooooooo

"Hey geeks, "Danny said as he walked up to Adam and Lindsay."

"Geeks?" Lindsay glared at him.

He shrugged, "Sorry, anyway Mac's out of the hospital," he said, filling them in on the latest.

Lindsay smiled, "That's great news," she said.

"You think he would take it easy?" Adam asked.

"Mac knows his limits," Danny assured.

oooooooooo

Flack sighed as he signed the last papers connected to the case and slumped back in his chair. What a mess, he really didn't want to do this all over again anytime soon. Money laundering, murder, attempted murder, an injured friend and a complicated case. He rubbed his eyes, 'Yeah it would have been a great Hollywood movie,' he thought bitterly.

Don yawned and tiredly stared at the screen in front of him; for a while there he really thought he had lost his friend and mentor back at that freaking theatre. Images still flashed in his mind of Angell as she lay there broken and bloodied on a stretcher whisked away to the OR, and he barely survived her death, he just couldn't deal with another one right now and especially not Mac's.

"Hey Flack!" The captain said as he walked up to him, "I heard you did a great job with the theatre case."

Don nodded and glanced up at him.

"Get out of here, Flack before you fall asleep. I don't want to see you until tomorrow, and…" a slight smile played on the police captain's lips, "…tell Taylor we are all happy to know he's going to be all right."

Flack's face suddenly lit up and a smile broke out on his tired face. He nodded at his captain. "I'll make sure to pass on the word," he said.

oooooooooo

Aubrey suddenly felt nervous as she stood there outside Mac's apartment door with flowers in one hand and take away food in the other. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. Was she starting to fall in love with a certain Detective?

There was no denying that she had felt attracted to him the first time she had laid eyes upon him. Not that she usually wrote notes to people she didn't know. Aubrey knocked on the door and felt anticipation flow through her body.

A few moments later the door opened, revealing a tired, but still good looking, Mac Taylor on the other side, "Aubrey," he said softly a faint smile creasing his lips.

"Mac," she returned quickly and couldn't help but study him for a moment. His posture was stiff as if he was in pain and his movements guarded, but the eyes were clear and alert.

He looked at her amused, "Are you going to stand there all day or do you actually want to come in?" He teased.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, stepping into his spacey apartment with its valves and large windows.

"Kitchen is this way," he motioned for her to follow, "Are you afraid I can't cook?" He said, frowning at the take away food in her hand.

"Actually, I wanted you to taste the best seafood in town," she chuckled. "Why don't you just sit down while I bring the food?" She suggested.

"I can walk you know, I am not crippled," he said.

"You are injured, besides I'll be there shortly," Aubrey replied.

Mac placed his good hand on his hip, "Can't you step out of your role outside work?" He questioned.

She turned to look at him, placing two plates on the bench, "Can _you_ Detective?" She asked innocently.

oooooooooo

Stella glanced at the computer screen and rested her head against her left hand. Hearing footsteps outside her office she looked up to see Hawkes stopping by her door.

"'Night Stell, don't stay all night," he said softly.

Amused, she smiled at him; he was dressed like a medic. "Volunteer work again tonight, huh?" She asked.

Hawkes chuckled, "I guess you could never do enough good," he replied, smiling softly as he waved goodbye.

"Take care!" She called after him as he began walking towards the exit.

Stella sighed and ran a hand through her curly hair, briefly closing her eyes. This week had been like one long and horrible day. The relief she felt that it was finally over was the most wonderful feeling she had had in years. She really could have lost her best friend this time and just the thought of it made her shiver slightly. Stella reached forward to log off and call it a day.

"Hey Stella," Lindsay said softly as she and Danny came walking in the corridor, hand in hand.

As she rose from her chair, a sting of jealousy crept over her, she just couldn't help it. She hid her feelings behind a faint smile.

"Look, Danny and I were going to go out and grab something to eat, why don't you come too?" Lindsay suggested.

"Thank, but no thanks," she grimaced, "don't feel like being the third wheel," she excused herself.

Danny chuckled, "Actually you would be the fourth, and I convinced Don to meet us there," he said amused.

"Well then, why not?" Stella chuckled and reached for the light switch.

oooooooooo

"I have to admit, this is the best place so far," Aubrey said as she leaned carefully on Mac's shoulder, "I could get used to this," she said.

Mac smiled, "Unfortunately for you, I'm not a frequent visitor to this place," he gestured around the apartment with his hand.

"You know what I mean, Mac Taylor," the ER attending replied teasingly.

He returned her statement with a smug look on his face, "The fact that you're here after closing time…" he said smugly.

She glanced down at her watch, "What time is it? Oh crap, I'm heading to San Francisco in five hours." She eased out of his arms apologetically, "It's a medical conference, a big one, and the hospital wanted me to attend," she explained.

He frowned at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a week and don't you go and do something stupid. You better rest and get better till I get back…and absolutely no work, don't even think about setting foot in the lab," she gave him her best, glare but couldn't hold it for very long before her features softened and she was smiling again.

He looked at her amused as she reached out with her hand to help him up from the sofa. Then like the gentleman he was, he moved to help her get into her green coat. Aubrey turned around to face him and their eyes met, both sparkling. She smelled his cologne, took a deep breath and leaned closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her warmth close to him, the next step was inevitable; their lips met with affection and desire, after a while she unwillingly let go and looked up into his wonderful blue eyes. It would be a week till the next time she could lay her eyes on him and suddenly she began to regret her decision to leave.

ooooooooo

The end

_/Perhaps I should explain my take on Mac's answer to Peyton in the episode "Point of View" when he says that Aubrey and he are just friends. Of course he would say that, he doesn't want to hurt her feelings and he doesn't really want to go into his private life. _

_Also, thank you readers and reviewers, for taking time to get me through this piece of work; I would be delighted if you could just drop me a review and summarize what you thought about the story. You're great! _

_And to you, mav32, I just want to say thank you very much, for the beta, it has been great having you as such. _


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